Prime Minister

Members: Correspondence

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Prime Minister, when he plans to respond to the hon. Member for Ashfield's correspondence of 8 March 2016 on voter registration.

Mr David Cameron: My Office did not receive the original letter but has now obtained a copy. A reply will be sent shortly.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Cheshire

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority by 2020.

Justin Tomlinson: The number of people employed in DWP offices in East Cheshire Local Authority area at March 2011, which is the earliest information available, was 198. The current number of people employed as at March 2016, which is the latest information available, is 135. The reduction is in line with increased efficiencies and reducing workloads as more people have moved into work. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has only had an office presence in East Cheshire Local Authority area, in Crewe, since 25 January 2016. This follows the relocation of 31 staff from Stoke-on-Trent on that date with no staff losses at that time. As of March 2016 HSE has 30 staff based in Crewe. DWP and HSE have not yet developed detailed workforce plans up to 2020. There are currently no further plans for relocation or specific reductions of posts in East Cheshire.

Bereavement Benefits

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to extend the time limits on applications for bereavement allowance.

Priti Patel: The time limit for claiming Bereavement Allowance is three months from the date of death, which is consistent with the time limit for other welfare entitlements. We are not considering extending this at this time. We are, however, currently developing the new Bereavement Support Payment due to be implemented for new claims from April 2017, and we will assess the merits of further flexibilities on backdating as part of this work.

Work and Pensions Select Committee

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times he has attended public meetings of the Work and Pensions Committee since his appointment.

Justin Tomlinson: Attendance at Work and Pensions Select Committee meetings is a matter of public record and transcripts of such appearances can be found on the Committee’s web pages.http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/work-and-pensions-committee/

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps he has taken to support women who have been affected by state pension inequalities.

Justin Tomlinson: Our pension policies are providing greater choice and dignity for people in retirement, whilst also ensuring the system is sustainable for the future. The new State Pension is being introduced for those who reach State Pension age from April 2016. Under our state pension reforms over three million women will gain an average of £11 per week more State Pension by 2030.Around 75 per cent of women (and 70 per cent of men) who reach State Pension age under the new system in the first fifteen years will have a higher value State Pension when compared to the value of the State Pension they would have received under the old system. National Insurance credits for those who take time out of work for caring responsibilities will gain the same state pension entitlement as National Insurance contributions through earnings. The average woman reaching State Pension age in the new State Pension is also estimated to receive 10% more State Pension over her lifetime than the average man. Women reaching State Pension in the next 40 years will on average receive more State Pension over their lifetime than women ever have before. Women affected by equalisation of State Pension age will be entitled to the same working age in-work, out-of-work and disability benefits as men.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disabled people in Hampshire had their disability benefits stopped following an assessment in the last 12 months.

Justin Tomlinson: Such information as is available on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) clearances by type (e.g. awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) for both new claims and reassessed claims (for those previously in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is available at Great Britain, Regional, Parliamentary Constituency and Local Authority level, and is published on Gov.UK: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html. Further information on PIP statistics, including PIP award rates for both new claims and reassessed claims by geography, can also be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Hampshire receive disability benefits.

Justin Tomlinson: Information on the number of people claiming (i.e. entitled to) Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance, by geography is published and available at: http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/tabtool.html Guidance for users can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance Information on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) cases in payment, for both new claims and reassessed claims (for those previously in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)), by geography is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.

Winter Fuel Payments

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people who are eligible to receive the winter fuel payment and have voluntarily chosen not to receive it in each of the last three years.

Justin Tomlinson: Details of the number payments made to individuals and households are publicly available on the GOV.UK website.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/winter-fuel-payments-caseload-and-household-figures The voluntary relinquishments requests for the past three years are as follows:- 2013 1392014 782015 82

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2016 to Question 32294, what account is taken of a person's earlier claim for work capability assessment if the person submits a new claim for employment and support allowance.

Priti Patel: In order for the claim to progress, a claimant must demonstrate that there has been a significant worsening in their health condition or that a new health condition has developed.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2016 to Question 34050, how much funding his Department has allocated to the work programme and work choice in the 2016-17 financial year.

Priti Patel: The total budget for Contracted Employment Programmes for 2016-17 is £402.4m. It is not possible to publish the disaggregation of this figure to individual programmes, as this is subject to change throughout the year.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disabled people in Carmarthenshire had their disability benefits stopped as the result of an assessment in the last 12 months.

Justin Tomlinson: Such information as is available on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) clearances by type (e.g. awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) for both new claims and reassessed claims (for those previously in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is available at Great Britain, Regional, Parliamentary Constituency and Local Authority level, and is published on Gov.UK: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.ukGuidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.Further information on PIP statistics, including PIP award rates for both new claims and reassessed claims by geography, can also be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Carmarthenshire are in receipt of disability benefits.

Justin Tomlinson: Information on the number of people claiming (i.e. entitled to) Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance, by geography is published and available at: http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/tabtool.html Guidance for users can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance Information on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) cases in payment, for both new claims and reassessed claims (for those previously in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)), by geography is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.

Local Housing Allowance: Birmingham

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2016 to Question 32377, what proportion of local authorities will receive the Targeted Affordability Funding referred to; and whether Birmingham City Council qualifies as an area for such funding.

Justin Tomlinson: This information is not currently available. We are considering options as to how best to allocate the Targeted Affordability Funding, including the assessment of areas that will qualify.

Health and Safety Executive

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for core regulatory activities within the Health and Safety Executive in the next three years.

Justin Tomlinson: HSE, like many other public bodies, will deliver further budgetary savings over the next three years. HSE has set out in its 2016/17 Business Plan its priorities and key deliverables up to April 2017, including its commitment to securing effective management and control of risk in GB workplaces. For the longer term it has a financial strategy to deliver the required savings whilst seeking to maintain current levels of its core regulatory activities and sustaining regulatory excellence.

Carer's Allowance

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the eligibility threshold for carer's allowance to enable carers working 16 hours per week on the new National Living Wage to keep their entitlement to that allowance.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of the new national living wage on carers who will lose their eligibility for the carer's allowance for working 16 hours per week.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of the new national living wage on (a) carers and (b) the eligibility of carers who work 16 hours per week for carer's allowance.

Justin Tomlinson: The primary purpose of Carer's Allowance is to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. It is not, and was never intended to be, a carer’s wage or a payment for the services of caring, nor is it intended to replace lost or forgone earnings in their entirety. The earnings limit for Carer's Allowance is a net figure which is the figure left once income tax, National Insurance contributions and half of any contributions to an occupational or personal pension are deducted from earnings. There are also a number of other deductions which can be made that mean that people can earn significantly more than £110 per week and still be eligible for Carer's Allowance. The Carer's Allowance earnings limit is not linked to the number of hours worked. Instead, it is set at a level that aims to encourage those who give up full time work in order to undertake caring responsibilities to maintain a link with the labour market through part time work. Whilst the Government does not link the earnings limit to any other particular factor (including the National Living Wage), we do keep it under regular review and increase it when it is warranted and affordable, and this will continue to be our approach. Most recently in April 2015 the earnings limit was increased by 8% to £110, far outstripping the general increase in earnings. For those carers working around 16 hours a week on a low income and receiving Working Tax Credit, Carer's Allowance is taken fully into account as income. That means that any loss in Carer's Allowance is likely to be offset by an increase in Working Tax Credit, and this is one of the changes of circumstances that results in an immediate change to Tax Credits. Going forward the earnings taper in Universal Credit will help ensure that people are always better off in work.

Home Office

Refugees: Syria

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme since its inception; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: At the Spending Review, the Chancellor announced an estimated £460 million over the spending review period to cover the first 12 months’ costs for each of the 20,000 refugees being resettled in the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Scheme. He also announced an estimated £129 million to assist with local authority costs for years two to five of each refugee’s stay in the UK. The cost of the scheme since inception is subject to audit by the National Audit Office as part of the finalisation of the 2015-16 Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, which are expected to be published this summer.

Refugees: Yazidis

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will extend the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme to Yazidi women who are Iraqi victims of Daesh; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 20 April 2016



Only the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) registered Syrian refugees are eligible under the Syrian Resettlement Scheme, which has been expanded to resettle up to 20,000 during this Parliament. We work closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify cases that they deem in need of resettlement according to seven agreed vulnerability criteria for the Syrian Resettlement Scheme.There are no current plans to widen the Syrian Resettlement Scheme but it is operated in addition to our global resettlement schemes: Gateway and Mandate, which are not nationality specific. We also announced on 21 April a new Children at Risk Resettlement Scheme designed to resettle refugee children and their families designated by UNHCR as being at risk. This scheme is not nationality specific but is targeted at children in the Middle East and North Africa.

Offences against Children

Mr Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to tackle child sexual abuse; and what steps she plans to take in regards to such abuse in the next year.

Mr Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is planned that the new national centre of expertise on tackling child sexual abuse will work in connection with the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse.

Mr Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made on establishing a new national centre of expertise on tackling child sexual abuse; and when that centre is expected to open.

Mr Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with Ministerial colleagues in (a) her Department and (b) other Departments on establishing a new national centre of expertise on tackling child sexual abuse.

Karen Bradley: Tackling child sexual abuse is a top priority for this Government and good progress is being made on delivering the commitments made in “Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation” - the Government’s response to address on a national scale the failures that had been seen in Rotherham and elsewhere. We are working collaboratively across Whitehall to deliver on our commitments and will publish an update to the “Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation” report later this year. This will set out our progress to date on what we have achieved in tackling offending, reducing vulnerability and supporting victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. It will also set out what future steps the government plans to take.As part of this work, we have prioritised child sexual abuse as a national threat, providing a clear mandate for police forces to safeguard children and to share intelligence and best practice. We have also rolled out to all UK police forces Child abuse image database (CAID) which provides law enforcement with effective tools to search seized devices. We have delivered a £7 million uplift in funding over the financial years 2014 - 15 and 2015 - 16 for non statutory organisations which support victims and survivors of sexual abuse and have announced that the same amount will be available in 2016 - 17.In January this year we launched a new national whistle-blowing helpline, operated by the NSPCC, for any employee who wants to raise a concern about how their organisation is dealing with a concern about a child. The establishment of the Centre of Expertise has formed part of discussions held at the Inter Ministerial Group on Child Sexual Abuse, and we are currently working towards its procurement. In terms of the Centre working with the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, the Inquiry is independent of Government, but the Government is, and will, continue to fully co-operate with it.

Forced Marriage

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unwilling parties to a forced marriage have twice been prevented from such a marriage by the Forced Marriage Unit since it was set up.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Forced Marriage Unit takes to monitor the safety of UK residents rescued from forced marriages abroad who return to the UK.

Karen Bradley: We made forced marriage a criminal offence in 2014 to better protect victims and send a clear message that this abhorrent practice is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the UK. In addition, Forced Marriage Protection Orders (FMPOs) are available to protect those at risk and may include forbidding a person to be taken overseas, or ordering that they be returned to the UK.The jointly led Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) leads the Government's forced marriage policy, outreach and casework. In 2015 the FMU provided to people in the UK and abroad advice or support related to a possible forced marriage in 1,220 cases. This includes direct support to victims and advice to agencies on supporting victims of forced marriage, including help received by forced marriage victims abroad who return to the UK.Figures on the number of cases reported to the FMU are published annually and are available on GOV.UK. Information on repeat cases is not collated centrally.

Asylum: Yorkshire and the Humber

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many financial remedies were incurred as a result of breaches of the contract between the UK Border Agency and G4S Care and Justice Services in the North East Yorkshire and Humberside region for the provision of accommodation, transport and related services for persons claiming asylum or granted refugee status; and what the total cost of such remedies was.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 21 April 2016



I refer the Hon. Member to my answer of 24 February 2016 to the Hon. Member for (Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East) (Stuart C. McDonald) [28212].

Stalking

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to protect and support victims of stalking.

Karen Bradley: Stalking is a deeply disturbing crime which can leave its victims living in fear for years. That is why we introduced new legislation in 2012 which made stalking an offence in its own right.The latest published figures on stalking show that this legislation is taking effect. In 2014-15, over 1,100 prosecutions were commenced under the new offences, a nearly 50% rise from the previous year. The number of referrals by the police to the CPS, the number of convictions and the number of custodial sentences have also risen.However, legislation alone is not enough and we are determined to provide all victims of stalking with the protection and support that they need. As part of the dedicated funding to tackle violence against women and girls we provide support to the Suzy Lamplugh Trust for its National Stalking Helpline to provide support and advice to victims.The Home Office is currently considering the results of a public consultation on the possible introduction of a Stalking Protection Order aimed at providing immediate and earlier protection for victims. Through the Police Innovation Fund, we are supporting the police to identify ways to manage the significant volume of online material in abuse, harassment and stalking cases, so that evidence can be collected more easily and a strong case built to bring a prosecution.

Refugees

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what she is doing to help safeguard the welfare of (a) unaccompanied minors who have gone missing and (b) other unaccompanied minors in the refugee camps in Calais and Dunkirk.

James Brokenshire: Under the UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015, the UK has committed to support a range of work to address the migrant situation in northern France. The two governments have established a permanent official contact group focused on ensuring that the provisions of the Dublin III Regulation are used efficiently and effectively, including the provisions on family unity. A Home Office official was seconded to the Interior Ministry’s Dublin Unit in Paris to assist with the identification of potential requests for the UK to take charge of an asylum seeking child in France and to bring them into the Dublin Regulation procedure without delay.The UK has provided funding to a project run by a French non-governmental organisation to identify potential victims of trafficking and exploitation (including unaccompanied children) in Calais and to direct them to appropriate support services in France.

Stalking

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make a public statement of support for (a) survivors of stalking and (b) National Stalking Awareness Week.

Karen Bradley: Stalking is a deeply disturbing crime which can leave its victims living in fear for years. That is why we introduced new legislation in 2012 which made stalking an offence in its own right.The latest published figures on stalking show that this legislation is taking effect. In 2014-15, over 1,100 prosecutions were commenced under the new offences, a rise of nearly 50% from the previous year. The number of referrals by the police to the CPS, the number of convictions and the number of custodial sentences have also risen. However, legislation is not always enough and we are determined to provide all victims of stalking with the protection and support that they need.The Home Office is currently considering the results of a public consultation on the possible introduction of a Stalking Protection Order aimed at providing immediate and earlier protection for victims.We welcome National Stalking Awareness Week and the opportunity to bring attention to these crimes. As part of the dedicated funding to tackle violence against women and girls we provide support to the Suzy Lamplugh Trust for its National Stalking Helpline.

Asylum: Detainees

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to (a) end the indefinite detention of asylum-seekers in the UK and (b) introduce a limit on such detention in line with other European countries.

James Brokenshire: We do not detain asylum seekers indefinitely using immigration powers. The decision on whether detention is necessary is made on a case by case basis taking account of all the circumstances of the individual case. Detention must comply with the European Convention on Human Rights. Coupled with this, domestic case law is clear that, where detention is for the purpose of removal, the detention power can only be exercised if there is a realistic prospect of removal within a reasonable timeframe, which is highly case-specific.Some other European countries have in place a time limit on immigration detention because of the inquisitorial nature of their systems and because the actions of their Executives are not scrutinised by their courts in the same way in which courts in the UK scrutinise the Executive. The UK is not a signatory to the EU Returns Directive, which establishes time limits across Europe.

British Nationality

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who applied for UK citizenship in the year ending June 2015 (a) applied for exemption from the language requirements and (b) were granted such an exemption.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provision is made for people with learning disabilities and mental health problems in the system for testing applicants for UK citizenship.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provision is made for people on the high end of the autistic spectrum with speech and language difficulties; or who are non-verbal, in the system for application for UK citizenship; and if she will make a statement.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what grounds her Department grants exemptions from (a) the life in the UK written test and (b) the language requirements of an application for UK citizenship; and if she will make a statement.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who applied for UK citizenship applied for an exemption from the written life in the UK test between June 2014 and June 2016; and how many such applications were refused.

James Brokenshire: The Secretary of State may waive the Knowledge of Language and Life in the UK requirement for British citizenship on the basis of a person’s age, physical or mental condition.A person will normally be exempted from this requirement if they provide evidence from an appropriate medical practitioner that their condition is so severe that it prevents them from being able to learn English or prepare for or sit an English test or the Life in the UK test. Each application is considered on its own merits.Information cannot be obtained from UKVI data systems to show how many exemption requests were made and granted. This information could only be obtained from looking at individual records at disproportionate cost.

Immigrants: Detainees

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Written Statement of 18 April 2016, HCWS679, on immigration detention, who will be eligible under these proposals to authorise the detention of a pregnant woman for the first 72 hours.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigrants: Detainees

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Written Statement of 18 April 2016, on immigration detention, HCWS679, how many pregnant women (a) are detained and (b) have been detained for immigration purposes at the border in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Home Affairs Select Committee

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times she has attended public meetings of the Home Affairs Committee since her appointment.

Mrs Theresa May: Since my appointment as Home Secretary I have appeared publicly before the Home Affairs Select Committee on 19 occasions.

Visas: Married People

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on whether gross or net figures for rental income should be used in the calculation for the income threshold under spousal visa rules.

James Brokenshire: Under paragraph 20(c) and (cc) of Appendix FM-SE to the Immigration Rules, the gross income from property rental may be counted towards meeting the minimum income threshold for sponsoring a non-EEA national spouse or partner under the family Immigration Rules, provided that the evidential requirements of Appendix FM-SE are met.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to allocate additional resources to police forces to combat the risks posed by drones to aircraft.

Mike Penning: Overall police spending will be protected in real terms over the Spending Review period, when the locally funded police precept element of council tax is taken into account. This is an increase of up to £900 million in cash terms by 2019/20. Overall, the public should be in no doubt that the police will have the resources they need to respond to new threats rapidly and effectively to keep people safe.Decisions on the how the funding is allocated to priorities within forces are for individual Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners.

Police: Deployment

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to deploy British police officers to popular holiday resorts abroad as a result of the outcome of the pilot scheme in summer 2015.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigrants: Detainees

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Written Statement of 18 April 2016, on immigration detention, HCWS679, how many pregnant women (a) are detained and (b) have been detained for immigration purposes in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigrants: Detainees

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Written Statement of 18 April 2016, on immigration detention, HCWS679, whether there will be independent oversight of decisions to detain pregnant women.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigrants: Detainees

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Written Statement of 18 April 2016, on immigration detention, HCWS679, in what ways the policy to end the routine detention of pregnant women differs from the current policy that pregnant women should be detained only in exceptional circumstances.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigrants: Detainees

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Written Statement of 18 April 2016, on immigration detention, HCWS679, whether notice will be given to pregnant women who will be detained.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Marriage: Children

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2016 to Question 33257, what the Government's policy is on (a) granting residency to and (b) possible prosecution of people who arrive in the UK as either refugees or asylum seekers who are married to a child under 16 when such marriages were undertaken legally outside the UK and were not performed under duress.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Yazidis

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2016 to Question 29547, what assessment she has made of the efficacy of steps taken to reach vulnerable Yazidis now located in Turkish camps to enable them to be resettled in the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement Programme; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of (a) the Cyber Streetwise campaign and (b) her Department's policies on reducing the level of cyber crime.

Mr John Hayes: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

EU Countries: Nationality

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received on the introduction of citizenship-for-investment schemes by EU member states; and what assessment she has made of the need for increased transparency of such schemes.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the introduction of citizenship-for-investment schemes by EU member states.

James Brokenshire: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers I gave on 22 March to Questions 31324 and 31325 from my Hon. Friend the Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell) and the answers I gave on 9 March to Question 29833 from the Hon. Member for Hammersmith (Andy Slaughter) and to Question 29873 from my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochester and Strood (Kelly Tolhurst).

Social Services

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what role her Department had in the selection of appointed local authority heads of social services departments from 1985 to 2015.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

British Nationality: Assessments

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department routinely collects on the nationality, gender and pass rate of applicants for the Life in the UK and Knowledge of Language test; and if she will make it her Department's policy to publish data providing a breakdown of such data by nationality, gender and pass rate.

James Brokenshire: Pass rates for the Life in the UK Test are already published quarterly under transparency arrangements. The most recent are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/temporary-and-permanent-migration-data-february-2016As part of the registration process each applicant's nationality is recorded. Information is not recorded with regard to gender. There are no plans to include a breakdown by nationality or gender in future publications.Pass rates for language tests are held in individual approved supplier systems and are not currently published. There are no plans to publish this data.

Fire Services: Mental Illness

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the prevalence of mental health issues among firefighters; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Penning: The physical and mental well being of fire fighters is of utmost importance and we recognise that from time to time some fire fighters may experience challenging times because of the stressful and demanding functions of the role. The responsibility for ensuring the health and safety of fire fighters rests with individual fire and rescue authorities. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association supports them in this work through its lead on fire and rescue occupational health matters.The Government announced in October last year the allocation of nearly £10 million to help support 200,000 emergency services personnel and volunteers, funded through the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) fines. Of this funding up to £4 million was allocated to mental health charity MIND to develop a programme of targeted mental health support and information for all emergency services personnel across England. The programme includes an anti-stigma campaign, a confidential advice line for emergency service staff, training, peer learning events and other resources to help promote better mental health in the work place.

Cybercrime: Publicity

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20367 and of 18 January 2016 to Question 22101, what the spend for the Cyber Streetwise campaign was on (a) media spend and production, (b) PR, partnership and social, (c) research and (d) website in (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16.

Mr John Hayes: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cybercrime

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20367, how the figure of approximately two million adults who have adopted safer online behaviours that will better protect them was reached; and how such behaviours were measured.

Karen Bradley: Cyber Streetwise is a cross Government campaign, developed by private and public stakeholder partners and coordinated by the Home Office. It is designed to measurably make the UK a safer place to interact and do business online by increasing individual and SME adoption of safe online behaviours.Government experts estimate that a significant proportion of cyber security issues would be avoided by safer online behaviours. Cyber Streetwise supports this by increasing digital confidence by informing people about the key things that keep them safer online. It does this by:• Delivering actionable and positive solution focussed advice on how to be secure• Creating arresting communications that highlight the consequences and cut through low interest• Reminding and reinforcing individuals and SMEs of the core protective behaviours at the point of risk/incidenceThe impact of Cyber Streetwise on behaviours is evaluated via regular quantitative tracking research. Since its launch in January 2014, it is estimated that 2 million adults have adopted safer online behaviours that will better protect them.This is estimated using data from the National Cyber Security Tracker. This is a regular non-random online panel survey of 2000 people, designed to measure the adoption (claimed behaviour) of safer cyber security behaviours amongst SMEs and the public.

Police: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that police officers receive appropriate psychological support after witnessing traumatic events.

Mike Penning: Policing, by its nature, can be a stressful and demanding job and it is the responsibility of chief officers, supported by the College of Policing, to ensure that good management systems are in place to support police in their work.The Government recognise the importance of police welfare. In October 2014 we allocated £10 million to help support emergency services personnel and volunteers, focused on mental health, physical recuperation and bereavement support for those who need it.The Home Office is working with the national policing lead for wellbeing and engagement on the development of his strategy but this must remain a sector led initiative.

Northern Ireland Office

Elections: Northern Ireland

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the potential devolution of powers relating to electoral matters in Northern Ireland.

Mr Ben Wallace: I wrote on 21 March to the Minister of the Environment, Mark Durkan MLA, to advise him of preliminary work to consider greater Local Council involvement in aspects of the delivery of elections in Northern Ireland. Electoral policy remains an excepted matter in Northern Ireland. While we are considering options for reforming the administration of elections in Northern Ireland, the question of devolving electoral policy does not form part of this review.

Electoral Register: Internet

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment her Department has made of potential arrangements for the introduction of online electoral registration in Northern Ireland.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Government has allocated additional funding to the Chief Electoral Officer to enable his office to extend digital registration to Northern Ireland. The digital registration scheme has been in operation very successfully in the rest of the UK since 2014. The Chief Electoral Officer has conducted a successful procurement exercise to identify the preferred provider of a new electoral management system which will facilitate digital registration. User testing of initial models of the online experience will begin at the end of this month. We propose that in addition to the currently available paper registration process, an on-line registration service will be available in Northern Ireland by the end of 2016.

Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland is a Crown body or a non-departmental public body; and what the planned budget for that office is for 2016-17.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland is a statutory officer holder. He/she is supported by the employees of the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland who are recruited directly by the Chief Electoral Officer under s.14A of the Electoral Law Act 1962.An initial resource budget (excluding depreciation) of £2,011,000 has been allocated to the Chief Electoral Officer. Further funding – both capital and resource – will be made available to support the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland transformation programme which includes the introduction of digital registration.The Chief Electoral Officer will also receive funding from the Consolidated Fund and the Northern Ireland Assembly to support the EU Referendum and Northern Ireland Assembly elections that are due to take place in 2016.

Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans she has to consult more widely on potential reduction of the regional Electoral Office presence and local services throughout Northern Ireland.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Chief Electoral Officer and the Government are considering reform options to take advantage of technological change and ensure EONI remains on a sustainable financial footing. I expect a consultation on reform proposals, once developed, in the autumn.

Department of Health

Out-patients: Children

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many outpatient (a) medical ophthalmology, (b) optometry and (c) orthotics appointments for children under 19 years of age were (i) cancelled and (ii) missed because the patient did not attend in 2014-15; and what the median waiting time for an (A) outpatient ophthalmology (B) medical ophthalmology (C) outpatient optometry, and (D) outpatient orthoptics appointment was in 2014-15.

Alistair Burt: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 14 March 2016.The correct answer should have been:

The information is shown in the following table. Information on outpatient ophthalmology, medical ophthalmology, optometry, orthotics and orthoptics appointments for patients under 19 years of age in 2014-15  Outpatient appointments1 for patients under 19 years of ageAll patientsTreatment specialtyCancelled (by hospital or by patient)Patient did not attendMedian wait time (days)2Ophthamology398,77493,09935Optometry1,8841,02833Orthotics6,5195,16240Orthoptics70,32754,06235Outpatient appointments1 for patients under 19 years of ageAll patientsTreatment specialtyCancelled (by hospital or by patient)Patient did not attendMedian wait time (days)2Ophthalmology98,77493,09935Medical ophthalmology5655,44828Optometry1,8841,02833Orthotics6,5195,16240Orthoptics70,32754,06235  Sources:Hospital episode statistics, Health and Social Care Information Centre Notes:These are not counts of people as the same person may have had more than one appointment within the same time period.Waiting time is defined as the time in days between the date the referral request was received and the date of the first appointment, whether it was attended or not.Within the Hospital Episode Statistics database it is not possible to distinguish between "ophthamology" and "medical ophthamology" treatment specialties.

Alistair Burt: The information is shown in the following table. Information on outpatient ophthalmology, medical ophthalmology, optometry, orthotics and orthoptics appointments for patients under 19 years of age in 2014-15  Outpatient appointments1 for patients under 19 years of ageAll patientsTreatment specialtyCancelled (by hospital or by patient)Patient did not attendMedian wait time (days)2Ophthamology398,77493,09935Optometry1,8841,02833Orthotics6,5195,16240Orthoptics70,32754,06235Outpatient appointments1 for patients under 19 years of ageAll patientsTreatment specialtyCancelled (by hospital or by patient)Patient did not attendMedian wait time (days)2Ophthalmology98,77493,09935Medical ophthalmology5655,44828Optometry1,8841,02833Orthotics6,5195,16240Orthoptics70,32754,06235  Sources:Hospital episode statistics, Health and Social Care Information Centre Notes:These are not counts of people as the same person may have had more than one appointment within the same time period.Waiting time is defined as the time in days between the date the referral request was received and the date of the first appointment, whether it was attended or not.Within the Hospital Episode Statistics database it is not possible to distinguish between "ophthamology" and "medical ophthamology" treatment specialties.

Nutrition: Health Education

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which (a) trade and levy organisations and (b) other members of health, voluntary sector and industry were invited to be part of the external reference group for the formation of the new Eat Well guide.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England convened an external reference group in July 2014 to inform the refresh of the Eatwell Guide. Members from health, voluntary sector and industry were invited, including trade and levy organisations. Government departments and agencies were observers. The following organisations were invited and formed the reference group; The Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board, The Association of Directors of Public Health, The Association for Nutrition (chair), The Association of Convenience Stores, The British Dietetic Association, The British Nutrition Foundation, The British Retail Consortium, The Food and Drink Federation, Health Education England, Institute of Grocery Distribution, The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, The Royal College of Nursing and UK Health Forum.

Surrogate Motherhood

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has received on reforming the law on surrogacy.

Jane Ellison: A search of the Department’s central correspondence system shows that, since November 2015, the Department has received 31 representations that made direct or indirect reference to reforming the law on surrogacy. I have also answered four Parliamentary Questions in this session about this issue.The Government has no current plans to change the legislation in respect of surrogacy arrangements.

Department of Health: Cheshire

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority by 2020.

Jane Ellison: No jobs with the core Department have been abolished or relocated from East Cheshire and none will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire by 2020.The information about non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, and other accountable statutory bodies is not held centrally by the Department and the information for all those organisations has been provided by those bodies. This has resulted in a ‘nil return’, on both aspects of the question, from each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies operating within East Cheshire.

St Cross Hospital: Surgery

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many operations were carried out at the Hospital of St Cross, Rugby in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.

Jane Ellison: The information is not available in the format requested. The Health and Social Care Information Centre collect data by Finished Consultant Episodes (FCEs) with a main procedure and by NHS trust. Number of FCEs with a main procedure at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, 2012-13 to 2014-15 YearFCE's12012-13100,4752013-14102,0582014-15106,832 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, Health and Social Care Information CentreNotes:These data do not describe the count of people as the same person may have been admitted on one or more occasion.

General Practitioners

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the ratio of GPs to residents is in (a) Rugby constituency and (b) England.

Alistair Burt: The ratio of general practitioners (GPs) to residents in Rugby constituency is not collected; however, the ratio of GPs to residents in the Coventry and Rugby Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is 65.6 GPs (excluding Registrars and Retainers) per 100,000 Office fpr National Statistics (ONS) resident population. The Health and Social Care Information Centre publish an annual General and Personal Medical Services workforce census. In the last census as at 30 September 2014, there were 66.5 GPs (excluding Registrars and Retainers) per 100,000 ONS resident population in England. Data for 2015 will be published on 27 April.

Health Select Committee

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times he has attended public meetings with the Health Committee since his appointment.

Jane Ellison: Attendance at Committee meetings is a matter of public record and is dependent on a request from the Committee. My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has attended five public meetings with the Health Committee.

Alcoholic Drinks

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many responses were submitted to the Chief Medical Officer's consultation on the Alcohol Guidelines Review.

Jane Ellison: We have received 1,017 responses to the UK Chief Medical Officers’ alcohol guidelines consultation including campaign and general responses.

Diseases

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what consultation he expects to undertake on the implementation plan for England for the UK strategy on rare diseases.

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on producing an implementation plan for England for the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases; and when he expects such a plan to be in place.

George Freeman: There are no plans to consult on the implementation plan for England on the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases. NHS England published a Statement of Intent to implement the UK Strategy in February 2014. Implementation of the Strategy is also included in NHS England’s Five Year Forward View.The UK Rare Disease Forum is responsible for monitoring progress on implementation of the Strategy across the United Kingdom. It published its first progress report on 29 February 2016. This recognises that significant progress has been made against majority of the 51 recommendations in the report. Further reports will be published in 2018 and 2020.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2016 to Question 31117, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the findings from the 2014 paper by Kavanagh and others, Introduction and sustained high coverage of the HPV bivalent vaccine leads to a reduction in prevalence of HPV 16/18 and closely related HPV types; and whether such findings have been taken into account when assessing the differential impact of the bivalent and quadrivalent HPV vaccines on genital wart incidence.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2016 to Question 31117, whether the time period referred to when providing details of the not anticipated reduction in genital warts associated with the bivalent vaccine takes into account the impact of the introduction of the quadrivalent vaccine in 2012.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2016 to Question 31117, whether there has been any lasting duration of the HPV reduction that Public Health England have associated with the bivalent vaccine.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2016 to Question 31117, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the 2016 paper by Mesher and others, Reductions in HPV 16/18 in a population with high coverage of bivalent HPV vaccination in England: an ongoing cross-sectional study; and whether such findings have been taken into account when assessing the differential impact of the bivalent and quadrivalent HPV vaccines on genital wart incidence.

Jane Ellison: The findings of Kavanagh and others, 2014, and of Mesher and others, 2016, are consistent with the reductions in human papillomavirus (HPV) 16/18 that were expected in the assessments that informed the Department’s policies. Neither of these papers report findings about genital warts incidence, both report no decrease in HPV types 6 and 11; this is also consistent with expectations in assessments that informed the Department’s policies.The answer of 23 March 2016 stated, ‘data reported to Public Health England (PHE) from genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics shows a reduction in rates of genital warts diagnoses at GUM clinics between 2009 and 2014.’ This analysis has been updated with data for 2013 and 2014. The reductions reported were in patients aged 15 years and older. As the introduction of the quadrivalent vaccine was in 2012, to 12 year olds, no impact on genital warts in 15+ year olds within this time period was expected due to this introduction. Use of the quadrivalent vaccine within this age group prior to its introduction in the national immunisation programme was assessed as a possible but highly unlikely cause of the reductions seen.The latest data from PHE showing reductions in genital warts diagnoses in GUM clinics amongst ages offered the bivalent vaccine are data for 2014: the future duration of any protection from genital warts associated with the bivalent vaccine has not been (and cannot be) inferred.

NHS: Negligence

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the annual costs incurred in clinical negligence legislation due to the failure of the NHS Litigation Authority to (a) properly investigate claims early in the process and (b) offer a realistic settlement at the earliest possible time; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: The role of the National Health Service Litigation Authority (NHS LA) is to deal efficiently and effectively with clinical negligence cases against the NHS as set out in the framework agreement with the Department.The NHS LA discharges its functions by:― paying justified claims promptly and appropriately;― defending claims without merit;― undertaking appropriate and proportionate risk management activities with its members with a view to assisting them to minimise their claims and thus improve patient and staff safety; and― ensuring that the lessons learned from claims and the other activities of the NHS LA are appropriately shared in order to help reduce adverse incidents in the future. A review of NHS LA by the Department, published in July 2015, concluded that it is a well-led and efficient organisation.

Junior Doctors: Recruitment

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of job offers on the terms and conditions of the new junior doctor contract have been (a) accepted and (b) rejected to date.

Ben Gummer: More than 500 job offers have been made and employers are currently carrying out pre-employment checks.

City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust: Doctors

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many doctors have been recruited into City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust in the last five years.

Ben Gummer: The data requested is not centrally collected. The table below shows the number of doctors joining City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust between 30 September 2010 and 30 September 2015. NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): HCHS Doctor joiners to City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, between 30 September 2010 and 30 September 2015City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trustheadcount Joiners in the 12 month period from 30 September 2010-20112011-20122012-20132013-20142014-2015HCHS Doctors236236231243231Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre, NHS HCHS workforce statistics.Notes:Turnover data is based on headcount.These joiners are to City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust and to the HCHS Doctors staff group.These figures include junior doctors.Following a public consultation in 2015, categorisation of trusts and staff groups has changed therefore restricting comparability with previous publications.More details regarding these changes can be found in the outcomes of the consultation document available at the link below.http://www.hscic.gov.uk/hchsData qualityThe HSCIC seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data.Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where changes impact on figures already published, this is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed.Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses.

Autism: Suicide

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many autistic people in England have died by suicide in each of the last five years.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure suicide prevention services are autism-appropriate.

Alistair Burt: The information requested is not collected centrally.Public Health England (PHE) published ‘Guidance for developing a local suicide prevention action plan’ in 2014. The guidance states the importance of developing multi-agency suicide prevention groups to ensure that local suicide prevention plans are informed by local intelligence and the needs of the local community. PHE is currently refreshing this guidance.We welcomed the independent Mental Health Taskforce recommendation to ensure that all local areas have multi-agency suicide prevention plans in place by 2017.The National Suicide Prevention Strategy (2012) stated that accessible, high-quality mental health services are fundamental to reducing the risk of suicide in people of all ages with mental health problems.Last year, NHS England commissioned the world's first Learning Disability Mortality Review Programme to support local areas to review deaths of people with learning disabilities and to use the information to improve service provision so that physical and mental health problems can be identified and addressed. The process is currently being piloted in the North East and Cumbria.We have made monumental strides in the way we help manage conditions such as autism in this country and that is why we are working alongside people with autism, and their carers,to make sure they have access to healthcare with adjustments made for their conditions. This is a focus of the Cross Government Autism Strategy which was revised in 2014 as Think Autism.

Autism: Mortality Rates

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many clinical commissioning groups collect (a) prevalence and (b) standardised mortality data on autistic people as part of their joint strategic needs assessments.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce premature death among people (a) with autism and a learning disability and (b) with autism and no learning disability.

Alistair Burt: Information is not collected centrally on how many clinical commissioning groups collect prevalence and standardised mortality data on autistic people as part of their joint strategic needs assessments. The National Health Service is taking action to reduce premature death among people with autism and a learning disability, and with autism by increasing annual health checks for people with learning disabilities, including for those who also have autism. The NHS is working to reduce variation and improve care for physical health conditions that disproportionately impact on people with learning disabilities who also may have autism, including epilepsy and cancer. NHS England has commissioned the world's first Learning Disability Mortality Review Programme to support local areas to review deaths of people with learning disabilities and to use the information to improve service provision. This review programme for people with learning disabilities includes those who also have autism. Think Autism set out a clear, cross Government programme of action, developed alongside people with autism, their families and carers to improve their lives and reduce premature mortality through better access to healthcare by making adjustments to services. This includes supporting the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGPs) Autism Initiative to improve understanding of autism amongst GPs.

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what length of time Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust had to wait for Disclosure and Debarring Service checks for (a) doctors and (b) nurses offered posts for accident and emergency in each month in 2015.

Ben Gummer: These are operational matters for the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and we have written to Stuart Heys, Chair of the Trust informing him of the hon. Member’s question. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Congenital Abnormalities

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions Ministers of his Department have had with counterparts in non-EU states on policies and steps to reduce the number of neural tube defect-affected pregnancies.

Ben Gummer: We are not aware that any Ministers have attended any formal meetings with countries outside the European Union member states where policies on reducing the number of neural tube affected pregnancies have been discussed.

Congenital Abnormalities

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, by what date he expects that the population of England will be covered by the National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Disease Registration Service.

George Freeman: Public Health England achieved complete national coverage for the National Congenital Anomalies and Rare Disease Registration Service in April 2016.

Congenital Abnormalities: EU Countries

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what comparative information his Department holds on the rate of pregnancies affected by neural tube defects in the UK and in other EU member states.

Ben Gummer: The prevalence of neural tube defects in live births, fetal deaths (over 20 weeks’ gestation) and terminations of pregnancy for fetal anomaly in 2012 in the British Isles Network of Congenital Anomaly Registers, registers (covering 36% of the births in England and Wales) was 12.5 per 10,000 births (source: Congenital anomaly statistics 2012, England and Wales (2014)).In European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies registries (covering 25.8% of the births in the United Kingdom) the prevalence of neural tube defects in 2012 for the UK was 12.53 neural tube defects per 10,000 births. By comparison, other European Union member states ranged from 1.75 per 10,000 births to 17.37 per 10,000 births. Differences in total prevalence rates may reflect a number of factors including genetic and environmental differences.Data on prevalence is available at: http://www.eurocat-network.eu/AccessPrevalenceData/PrevalenceTables

Incontinence: Children

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with NHS England on commissioning of integrated paediatric continence services.

Jane Ellison: In November 2015, NHS England published the Commissioning Framework for Continence Services Excellence in Continence Care.  This covers all ages including children and outlines a pathway including assessment, diagnosis and treatment to recovery where possible. The framework sets out a number of principles for a good design of service including integration across primary, secondary and tertiary services, health, education and social care. The framework references the Paediatric Continence Commissioning Guide (2014) which provides a specification for paediatric continence services which again puts integration at its heart. A national Excellence in Continence Care Board, chaired by NHS England and with membership of paediatric continence specialists and the Paediatric Forum continues to oversee the implementation of the Excellence in Continence Care framework.

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to merge clinical commissioning groups during the course of the current Parliament.

George Freeman: There are no plans to merge clinical commissioning groups.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the provision of urgent care centres on levels of attendance at A&E departments.

Jane Ellison: The location and structure of urgent and emergency care services is a matter for local commissioners, taking account of guidance issued by NHS England. This guidance includes Safer, faster better: good practice in delivering urgent and emergency care, which was published in August 2015, to support frontline providers and commissioners in re-designing urgent and emergency care services.The guidance states that urgent care centres co-located with emergency departments provide an opportunity to stream patients with less serious illnesses and injuries to a service that is resourced to meet their needs, while reducing crowding in emergency departments.

NHS: Standards

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people undertake quality assurance in the NHS outside of clinical commissioning groups.

Ben Gummer: We do not hold information centrally on the number of people working in the National Health Service who have a quality assurance role.However, the fundamental standards set out the standards against which care should not fall and all providers are expected to have systems and processes in place to assure themselves that they are assessing, monitoring and improving the quality and safety of their services.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is responsible for the inspection and regulation of quality of all healthcare providers and its findings are published together with a performance rating. Where a provider’s performance falls below the fundamental standards the CQC has specific powers to take appropriate action.

Asthma: Drugs

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent by the NHS on asthma drugs in each year since 2010.

George Freeman: Information on National Health Service expenditure on drugs for the treatment of asthma1 in primary and secondary care is shown in the table. Since some drugs are prescribed to treat more than one condition and as the condition for which a drug is prescribed is not collected, it is not possible to specify the different conditions for which a drug may have been prescribed. The information provided may therefore include costs from the prescribing of drugs that treated conditions other than asthma.  Cost of drugs for the treatment of asthma, England2YearPrimary care (£ millions)Secondary care (£ millions)Combined total (£ millions)2010952.443.9999.32011968.545.11,013.620121,007.549.01,056.520131,018.352.41,070.720141,031.256.11,087.22015 31,039.4-- Sources: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system data provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (primary care). Hospital Pharmacy Audit Index (HPAI) provided by IMS Health (secondary care). Notes:1 Drugs for the treatment of asthma have been defined as those included in the following British National Formulary (BNF) sections, using the classification system prior to edition 70:3.1.1 Adrenoceptor agonists3.1.2 Antimuscarinic bronchodilators3.1.3 Theophylline3.2 Corticosteroids3.3.1 Cromoglicate and related therapy3.3.2 Leukotriene receptor antagonists3.4.2 Allergen immunotherapy (omalizumab only)2 Cost of drugs at NHS list price not taking account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charges income. Totals may not add up due to rounding.3 Secondary care data for 2015 is not yet available.

NHS: Buildings

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent from the public purse on the maintenance of NHS buildings in each year since 2010.

George Freeman: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table. Data is collected annually in the Estates Return Information Collection from the National Health Service for maintenance service costs (prior to 2013-14 the data collected was “total building and engineering maintenance costs”). The data for 2010 onwards is provided for the NHS below:  £ million2010-11768.462011-12751.402012-13753.642013-14756.062014-15749.82 The data is provided as received from the NHS and has not been amended centrally.

Mental Health Services: Pregnancy

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33901, if he will make it his policy to collect such information in future.

Alistair Burt: The Government is committed to improving perinatal mental health services, so that women are able to access the care they need at the right time and close to home.NHS Digital (formerly the Health and Social Care Information Centre) is starting to collect information about perinatal mental health services in the new Mental Health Services Dataset and this will increase the amount of data about women’s contact with a range of mental health services during pregnancy and in the first year after birth. We expect that some initial data on perinatal mental health will be available later this year. We will use this initial information to refine how data on perinatal mental health is collected going forward.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2016 to Question 31789, how many people were (a) newly diagnosed and (b) already diagnosed as suffering from inflammatory bowel disease in each year since 2010.

Jane Ellison: The two main forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis only affects the large intestine whereas Crohn's disease affects the whole of the digestive system. Data relating to the total number of people newly and already diagnosed with IBD in each year since 2010 is not collected. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance indicates that ulcerative colitis has an incidence in the United Kingdom of approximately 10 per 100,000 people annually, and a prevalence of approximately 240 per 100,000. This amounts to around 146,000 people in the UK with a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. In addition to this, there are currently at least 115,000 people in the UK with Crohn's disease.

Fibroadenomas: Females

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information he holds on the number of women in England who were diagnosed with fibroadenomas in each of the last five years.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information he holds on the proportion of women with fibroadenoma who went onto develop breast cancer in 2015.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number of women who had fibroadenomas surgically removed in each of the last five years.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what advice NHS England provides for women who have developed fibroadenomas.

Jane Ellison: The number of women who were diagnosed with fibroadenomas in each of the last five years, and the proportion of women with fribroadenomas who went on to develop breast cancer in 2015, is not held.In addition, information on the number of women who had fibroadenomas surgically removed in each of the last five years is not held.There are several types of benign breast lump, including fibroadenomas. Although most lumps are not breast cancer, any unusual changes to the breasts should be checked by a general practitioner (GP) as soon as possible. If a GP finds a lump on examination, they will routinely refer the patient to be seen by a hospital specialist.

Strokes: Rehabilitation

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment his Department has made of the time taken for patients outside London to receive stroke rehabilitation treatment.

Jane Ellison: Although the Government has made no assessment of the time taken for patients outside London to receive stroke rehabilitation treatment, the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) has collected data over the last three years on the rehabilitation that stroke patients get in hospital and in the community in England. This data includes information on time to first assessment for rehabilitation and treatment. The SSNAP reports are available at:https://www.strokeaudit.org/results/PostAcute.aspx

Spinal Injuries: Surgery

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the vacancy rate is for spinal surgery specialists in England.

Ben Gummer: The vacancy rate for spinal surgery specialists in England is not collected.

Occupational Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2016 to Question 34106, occupational health, if he will make it his policy to collect the information referred to.

Alistair Burt: We do not have any plans to collect this data. We do not collect data on the number of organisations that have mental wellbeing policies in place. Organisations may take a number of different approaches to ensuring the wellbeing of their workforces, which would make measurement very complex, with an absence of communications standards. However, the issue remains of importance to the Department.

Skin Cancer: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal College of Nursing on the use of nirolumab and ipilimumab to treat skin cancer.

George Freeman: We have had no such discussions.Nivolumab (Opdivo) in combination with ipilimumab (Yervoy) does not currently have a marketing authorisation in the United Kingdom for treating advanced or unresectable melanoma.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab for the treatment of advanced, unresectable melanoma. NICE currently expects to publish final guidance in September 2016.In the absence of guidance from NICE, it is for commissioners to make decisions on whether to fund new medicines based on an assessment of the available evidence.

Paramedical Staff: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure paramedics receive appropriate psychological support after witnessing traumatic events.

Jane Ellison: Management of the frontline workforce, including arrangements for any psychological support, is the responsibility of individual ambulance trusts. All ambulance trusts have internal debriefing support services and through occupational health, staff have access to professional counselling services. The Department commissions NHS Employers to support providers of NHS services in ensuring and improving staff health and wellbeing. They provide a wide range of advice, guidance and best practice, including toolkits on mental health and stress in the workforce.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to collect data from private sector providers of NHS mental health services.

Alistair Burt: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) is responsible for the Mental Health Services Data Set which is a patient level, output based, secondary uses dataset which will deliver robust comprehensive, nationally consistent and comparable person based information for children, young people and adults who are in contact with mental health services. Data submission is mandatory for all instances of care including from independent providers that are wholly or partially funded by the National Health Service. The Department is also working with the HSCIC and other health system partners to improve data submissions from independent providers.

Mental Health Services: Procurement

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what specialist training in mental health commissioning is provided to clinical commissioning group mental health commissioners.

Alistair Burt: NHS England does not provide specialist mental health training to clinical commissioning group (CCG) commissioners. NHS England provides a range of information, tools and guidance to support mental health commissioning and the transformation of services. NHS England Commissioning Support Units provide a wide range of commissioning support services that enable clinical commissioners to focus their clinical expertise and leadership in securing the best outcomes for patients and driving up quality of National Health Service patient services. NHS England Strategic Clinical Networks also provide support to CCG commissioners as part of their support and development role. One of the Strategic Clinical Networks is focused on Mental Health, Dementia and Neurological Conditions.

Junior Doctors: Contracts

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, under which statute he has the power to impose contracts on junior doctors.

Ben Gummer: The Secretary of State acted entirely lawfully in deciding to announce, on 11 February 2016, Official Report, columns 1763 – 1778 that he would proceed with the introduction of a new contract without further negotiation with the British Medical Association. In deciding that a new contract – which would be safer for patients and fair and reasonable for junior doctors – should proceed to be introduced, the Secretary of State was exercising a range of powers under the National Health Service Act 2006.

Nurses: Migrant Workers

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of nurses that will need to be recruited from abroad to maintain levels of health care provision during the 2016-17 financial year.

Ben Gummer: The number of nurses that will need to be recruited from abroad to maintain levels of health care provision during the 2016-17 financial year is a matter for local National Health Service organisations with their knowledge of the healthcare needs of their local populations.Local organisations must ensure they have sufficient levels of nurses to deliver safe and sustainable care. We remain committed to moving forwards towards a self-sustaining workforce and to reduce the demand for migrant labour, including nurses. Nurses have been included on the Home Office’s Shortage Occupation list but this Government remains committed to the principle that our nurses should be able to secure the jobs they are qualified for. Employers will have to satisfy the resident labour market test before they can employ a nurse from outside of the European Economic Area.

Department of Health: Vacancies

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his Department's advertisement on the Hays Recruitment Agency website for a temporary Senior Deputy Head of Media Planning and Strategy on a daily rate of pay, whether the post holder will be paid through (a) the Department's payroll, (b) that agency or (c) a limited company.

George Freeman: The advertisement is for a position within NHS England’s established structure, and the individual will not be employed by, contracted to or paid by the Department.

Hyperparathyroidism

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department issues on the diagnosis and early treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: Hyperparathyroidism is a rare hormone disorder caused by the parathyroid glands in the neck producing too much parathyroid hormone. This causes blood calcium levels to rise (hypercalcaemia) and blood phosphorus levels to fall (hypophosphatemia).Best practice guidance concerning the diagnosis and early treatment of both primary and secondary hyperparathyroidism has been published by the British Medical Journal. The guidance can be found via the Best Practice portal at the following link.http://bestpractice.bmj.com/best-practice/welcome.htmlIn addition to this, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Clinical Knowledge Summaries website provide similar information on the management of hyperparathyroidism in the context of it being a cause of hypercalcaemia.http://cks.nice.org.uk/hypercalcaemia

Hospitals

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which hospitals he has visited on Saturdays and Sundays since his appointment; and on what dates such visits were made.

Jane Ellison: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has overall responsibility for the National Health Service, and is on call and briefed on relevant events seven days a week, including public holidays. He routinely works on Departmental business at the weekends, which includes attending meetings, visiting frontline services and carrying out official engagements where relevant.

Congenital Abnormalities: Research

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has commissioned on the causes and consequences of neural tube defect-affected pregnancies.

George Freeman: The Department has not recently commissioned specific research on the causes and consequences of neural tube defect-affected pregnancies. The Department funds the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). A pilot randomised controlled trial led by researchers at the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital and University College London suggests that women at risk of having children with neural tube defects may be able to reduce this risk by taking inositol (Vitamin B8) as well as folic acid during pregnancy. The findings were published in February in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Political Levy

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many and what proportion of members in Northern Ireland of each trade union opted to pay the political levy; and which of those trade unions' headquarters are in (a) Great Britain and (b) Northern Ireland.

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many and what proportion of trade union members in (a) Great Britain and (b) Northern Ireland pay the political levy.

Nick Boles: The latest Annual Report of the Certification Officer shows that 4,954,606 union members in Great Britain paid the political levy in the period 2013-2014. This represents 70.67% of the total number of individuals who were union members in the same period.[1]Employment law is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and I am not able to respond to the questions relating to Northern Ireland. [1] Political Funds of Trade Unions, 2013-2014, Annual Report 2015/2016 of the Certification Officer, page 68-69, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/449387/CO_Annual_Report__2014-2015_.pdf

Trade Unions: Membership

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what guidance the Certification Officer has produced for trades unions on requirements to compile and maintain an accurate register of members; and what monitoring the Certification Officer undertakes of trades unions' compliance with those requirements.

Nick Boles: Under Section 24 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, unions are required to compile and maintain an up to date register of members’ names and addresses. The 1992 Act gives a right to members to make a complaint to the Certification Officer if they consider that the union has failed to comply with this duty. The Certification Officer ensures compliance by making enquiries and, where appropriate, issuing an enforcement order, where he finds a breach. Under the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014, unions will be required to submit a Membership Audit Certificate to the Certification Officer (with the first MACs expected from October this year). This will provide greater assurance that the duty under Section 24 of the 1992 Act is being complied with. The Certification Officer has not published guidance in relation to these requirements. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills published guidance in March 2015. This guidance, which also sets out previous Certification Officer decisions on how unions can take reasonably practicable steps to comply with this duty, is on the Gov.UK website. A link to this guidance is provided below:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/412221/bis-14-142-guidance-on-trade-union-register-of-members.pdf

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Buildings

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of potential savings to his Department's budget that will arise from reduction in headcount as a result of the closure of its Sheffield office at St Paul's Place.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 19 April 2016



  We cannot at this time provide an estimate of overall savings to BIS’ budget arising from headcount in the event that a decision to close the HQ office in St Paul’s Place is taken. Since the consultation was launched in February we have started to work through the likely associated costs of different options, recognising that final decisions on headcount have not yet been taken. Our internal work uses the annual costs of running the Sheffield office to illustrate the range of permanent, annual savings under different scenarios for staff replacement. This did not consider the one-off costs of transition including redundancies, which remain subject to decisions following the conclusion of the consultation. As we have previously indicated, our London headcount will decrease by 2020 and we have committed to making overall operating expense savings of £350m, of which this will form a part.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Buildings

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the costs or savings to his Department of (a) none, (b) 25 per cent, (c) 50 per cent, (d) 75 per cent and (e) 100 per cent of the staff based at the St Paul's Place office leaving his Department as a result of the closure of that office.

Joseph Johnson: If the proposal to close the BIS HQ office at St Paul’s Place goes ahead the Department would undertake to offer another round of voluntary exit proposals to staff based in Sheffield, as well as the other smaller numbers in other locations who are affected. We would also expect in such a scenario that a number of staff would find roles elsewhere, and that some members of staff might retire, as well as the possibility that redundancies might be required in some cases. Actual costs would depend on these variables. As regards any estimate of savings to the Department I refer the hon Member to my answer to his related question number UIN 33959.

Dumping

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of which sectors of the British economy are most at risk from foreign export dumping; and what steps he is taking to protect those sectors from that activity.

Anna Soubry: Any industry or business can potentially be affected by dumping. Companies in all goods sectors can therefore seek protection from dumping or subsidy through the EU’s anti-dumping and anti-subsidy Regulations by providing evidence direct, or through a trade association, to the European Commission.Anti-dumping and anti-subsidy actions by the European Commission have been taken against a wide range of imported products. The attached table shows the sectoral pattern of investigations conducted by the European Commission during the period 2011-2016.



Anti-dumping/anti-subsidy investigations launched
(PDF Document, 177.32 KB)

Iron and Steel

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to encourage the National Infrastructure Commission to investigate ways in which the UK supply chain can be used to help the UK steel industry.

Anna Soubry: My officials continue to work with HM Treasury on the establishment of an independent National Infrastructure Commission, including the basis upon which it will consider economic growth and the impact of UK infrastructure on the wider economy. On 30 October, we published guidance – Procurement Policy Note 16/15: Procuring steel in major projects, to ensure that Central Government takes into account relevant social and economic issues when procuring steel. This was followed, on 3 November, by more detailed instructions on how to apply social issues in steel procurement. These principles are being extended to the wider public sector, including Local Authorities and the NHS.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Cost Effectiveness

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which consultants other than McKinsey bid for the tender to consider his Department's BIS 2020 programme.

Joseph Johnson: Proposals to consider the Department’s BIS 2020 programme were received from McKinsey & Company and The Boston Consulting Group.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Cost Effectiveness

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether it is planned that the BIS 2020 programme will make greater savings than the savings required under the Spending Review 2015 set by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Joseph Johnson: The Department has committed to reduce total operating spending by £350m a year by 2020, which is consistent with Spending Review 2015 outcomes. The BIS2020 programme aims to achieve the agreed savings by focusing on maximising efficiency so as to prioritise front line activity.

Home Care Services: Pay

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department has a policy on the payment of homecare workers for travel time.

Nick Boles: The Government is clear that anyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) should receive the NMW/NLW. The same rules apply on the payment of travel time for homecare workers as all other sectors in the economy.Time spent travelling directly between assignments generally counts as time worked for NMW/NLW purposes. Whether a worker is entitled to the NMW/NLW for other periods - such as the time spent travelling between home and their first assignment and between their last assignment and home - depends on the terms of their contract and whether they are working during that time. Where the travelling time is time for which the NMW/NLW should be paid, any associated expenditure incurred by a worker in respect of that travel must be reimbursed.In September 2015 the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled in the case Federación de Servicios that journeys made by workers without a fixed or habitual place of work between their homes and the first and last customer of the day constitute working time. However, this ruling does not require the travel time to be paid, and it is for Member States to determine whether this time should be paid. The National Minimum Wage Regulations 2015 state that travel time to and from the home to a place of work or a place where an assignment is carried out is not treated as time or salaried hours work.The rules on travel time are set out in full on page 31 of the ‘Calculating the minimum wage’ document:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/514897/BIS-16-144-nmw-calculating-the-national-minimum-wage.pdf

Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many times he has attended public meetings of the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee since his appointment.

Joseph Johnson: Attendance at Committee meetings is a matter of public record. Transcripts of such appearances can be found in Hansard and on the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee web page here: www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/business-innovation-and-skills/inquiries/.

Education: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether education will be exempt from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: We have protected public services, including education, in all of our trade agreements and will continue to do so in the EU-US free trade agreement, also known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). This is non-negotiable.The Government remains committed to providing the best quality education for all children and young people. TTIP will not change this. The government of the day, not our trade partners, will always set the rules governing how the education system is run.

Industry

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much his Department has spent on its industrial strategy in each year in which that strategy has been in force.

Anna Soubry: The industrial strategy was launched under the coalition Government in September 2012. The strategy was characterised by support for a number of sectors, in several areas where government action (via investment or otherwise) was identified to have an impact in promoting jobs and growth. These areas were access to finance, support for emerging technologies, creating a pipeline of skilled workers, government procurement and the development of supply chains. The figures below show how much money has been spent in the spend areas of Aerospace, Automotive and Agri-tech, in each year that it has been in force:13/14 (£)14/15 (£)15/16 (£) (Forecast)Euro-Transonic Wind-tunnel (part of the Agri-tech Catalyst)1,111,747683,0001,195,000Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI)72,697,664132,544,663128,877,536Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC)-16,009,94832,358,783Agri-Tech Catalyst1,648,7901,959,15424,837,890Total 75,458,201  151,196,766  187,269,209

Apprentices: Taxation

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for how long the proposed apprenticeship levy vouchers will be valid.

Nick Boles: Levy funds will expire 18 months after they enter an employers’ digital apprenticeship service account unless they are spent on apprenticeship training. This will also apply to any top-ups in the account. Expiration will take place automatically, but an employer’s digital apprenticeship service account will let them know in good time when any funds are due to expire so that the funds can be spent if the employer wishes to do so.

Apprentices: Taxation

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether employers who pay the proposed apprenticeship levy and provide training will be able to use levy vouchers in their own organisations.

Nick Boles: Employers will be free to spend levy money on apprenticeships training which they judge best meets their needs. If the employer is a registered training provider, they could use the levy money on in-house training which meets the required quality standards for an apprenticeship. Where an employer wishes to provide their own in-house training, they must be registered on the Skills Funding Agency’s Register of Training Organisations. All providers are subject to inspection and reports by Ofsted on apprenticeship training provision.

Apprentices: Taxation

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress has been made in discussions with the devolved administrations on the drawing-down of funds on apprenticeships when the apprenticeship levy is introduced in April 2017.

Nick Boles: Skills policy is a devolved area so the devolved administrations will continue to have control over how to support businesses through training and apprenticeships. We are working closely with the devolved administrations to ensure they get their fair share of the levy and can work out how best to use it to complement their own apprenticeships and skills policies. We have been engaging with skills ministers in the devolved administrations on how to make the levy work for employers and would-be apprentices across the UK and will continue to do so following the elections in May.

Exports

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress his Department has made on reaching its target of £1 trillion a year in exports by 2020.

Anna Soubry: The Government has a clear strategy for increasing both the value of UK exports, as well as the number of British exporters. This is set out in the Government’s evidence to the BIS Select Committee inquiry into Exports in January 2016. Progress in delivering against the target is reported by the ONS.

Pubs Code Adjudicator

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, who will act on behalf of the Pubs Code Adjudicator in situations where one of the parties to that adjudication objects to the Adjudicator's involvement.

Anna Soubry: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Public Houses

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the role of the Enterprise Directorate of his Department was in the (a) appointment of the Pubs Code Adjudicator and (b) development of the Pubs Code.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which directorate of his Department oversaw the appointment of the Pubs Code Adjudicator.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which directorate of his Department oversaw the development of the Pubs Code.

Anna Soubry: The development of the Pubs Code and the appointment of the Pubs Code Adjudicator were overseen by the Pubs Code and Adjudicator Team. Due to departmental restructuring this team has sat within two different directorates in BIS: the Consumer and Competition Directorate (prior to July 2015 and currently) and Enterprise Directorate (from July 2015 to March 2016).

Pubs Code Adjudicator

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what support his Department plans to provide to the Pubs Code Adjudicator; and which directorate of his Department will oversee that support.

Anna Soubry: The Department is providing support to Mr. Newby to set up the Pubs Code Adjudicator office and prepare for the service it will deliver. The support includes finalising the office location and helping with logistical matters such as staff recruitment, IT provision, communication and stakeholder planning, financial modelling and service design. As the Pubs Code Adjudicator office becomes staffed, the Department will reduce its support. Following commencement of the Pubs Code, the Department will perform a sponsorship role to ensure that the Pubs Code Adjudicator is accountable and delivering value for money services whilst maintaining its independence. The Consumer and Competition Directorate in Economics and Markets Group will provide the ongoing support and the sponsorship function.

Public Sector: Procurement

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what value of contracts has been awarded through the Small Business Research Initiative in each year for which records are available.

Joseph Johnson: The value of contracts awarded through the Small Business Research Initiative in each year for which records are available is as follows:Financial Year2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/16Total contract value (£’000)£29,672£13,029£23,490£44,413£77,495£83,097£62,031

Trade Agreements: India

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what modelling his Department has carried out on the potential effect of a bilateral trade deal between the UK and India (a) in general and (b) on UK economic growth.

Anna Soubry: The Government has not carried out any modelling of the potential effects of a bilateral trade deal between the UK and India.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Buildings

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2016 to Question 33961, how he has measured the non-cashable efficiency savings to be realised through closer working, more collaborative and flexible teams following the closure of his Department's office at St Paul's Place, Sheffield.

Joseph Johnson: The Department has not measured all of the non-cashable savings as it would be disproportionate and impracticable to do so for one element of the much wider BIS 2020 organisational change programme. This programme will deliver a new business model for BIS and reduce operating spending by £350m by 2020.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Buildings

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2016 to Question 33961, what estimate he has made of cashable savings from headcount reduction after closure of his Department's office at St Paul's Place, Sheffield.

Joseph Johnson: I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to question 33959.

Land Registry

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much the public purse received from the HM Land Registry trading fund in 2015-16.

Anna Soubry: Land Registry is currently finalising the Annual Report and Accounts for 2015/16. Once the accounts have been finalised and audited by the National Audit Office, Any payments made will disclosed in their Annual Report and Accounts for 2015/16.

Land Registry

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 19853, what the customer satisfaction score for HM Land Registry was in Quarters 3 and 4 of 2015.

Anna Soubry: Reports from 2015 show that the percentage of customers rating Land Registry as good, very good or excellent was 90% in Q3 and 95% in Q4.

Land Registry

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 22 December 2015 to Question 20023, whether he has met staff representatives in HM Land Registry.

Anna Soubry: I can confirm that I met with PCS and FDA union representatives on Wednesday 3 February this year.

Innovate UK

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many civil servants were employed at each location by Innovate UK in the last year for which figures are available.

Joseph Johnson: There no civil servants employed by Innovate UK.People employed in Innovate UK are public servants and as at 31 December 2015 they were located as shown in the table below.LocationRegionInnovate UKSwindonSouth West180Other (inc. Work from home, Field work, Mobile, etc.)Mobile126TotalTotal306

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Written Questions

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2016 to Question 6502, what the reasons are for the time taken to answer that question.

Anna Soubry: The hon. Member’s question was approved on time, but an administrative error with submitting the answer through the Question and Answer system meant that the reply was not sent. Procedures have been put in place to ensure that this issue does not reoccur.

Ministry of Defence

Military Aircraft

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much support work there has been for the order for the Boeing Poseidon P-8A (a) by value and (b) by number of jobs that will be undertaken by employees (i) in the UK, (ii) in the US and (iii) elsewhere; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much production work there has been for the order for the Boeing Poseidon P-8A (a) by value and (b) by number of jobs that will be undertaken by employees (i) in the UK, (ii) in the US and (iii) elsewhere; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 April 2016 to Question 33058 to the hon. Member for Barrow and Furness (John Woodcock).



Maritime Patrol Aircraft
(Word Document, 16.2 KB)

HMS Elizabeth

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what analysis his Department made of alternatives to the MSI-DSL 30mm gun for deployment on HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many MSI-DSL 30mm guns will be mounted on HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Mr Philip Dunne: In December 2003 a competition was launched to provide the Royal Navy with an improved defensive anti-surface warfare capability with the preference being for an automated 30mm gun system. A number of companies entered the competition, and the MSI 'Seahawk' system was eventually chosen on the basis of cost, capability and through life support. The MSI weapon system, now referred to as the Automated Small Calibre Gun (ASCG) System, was subsequently selected for fitting to HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH.Four ASCGs will be fitted on QUEEN ELIZABETH.

HMS Ocean

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which assets will be transferred from HMS Ocean for use on other platforms when she is withdrawn from service.

Mr Philip Dunne: When HMS OCEAN is withdrawn from service consideration will be given to the assets and equipment that may be transferred to other platforms to support the Royal Navy's amphibious capability.It is too early to provide exact details of all the assets that will be transferred.

Defence Select Committee

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times he has attended public meetings of the Defence Committee since his appointment.

Michael Fallon: I have attended each of the three public oral evidence sessions to which I have been invited since my appointment. I have agreed to appear before the Committee on 24 May on Russia and 8 June on Syria and Iraq.

Air Force: Military Bases

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on running costs for RAF (a) Menwith Hill, (b) Lakenheath and (c) Croughton in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Mark Lancaster: The running costs for the Royal Air Force are:  £ Million 2013-142014-152015-16Menwith Hill4.344Lakenheath18.31816.1Croughton8.187.5 The United States Visiting Forces reimburse the Royal Air Force for the vast majority of these expenses, with minor exceptions including travel and subsistence costs.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what data his Department collects on allegations made against service personnel accused of committing (a) sexual assault and (b) rape.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence routinely provides figures about allegations which are handled within each component part of the Service Justice System. This includes cases dealt with by the Service Police, the Service Prosecuting Authority, and the Military Court Service. As we have made very clear during the passage of the Armed Forces Bill 2015-16, we are currently looking at how to improve the way in which we gather and produce such information with the aim of producing an official statistic.

Armed Forces: Housing

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for how many properties vacated by a service family leaving service family accommodation at march out Carillion Amey has accepted a cleaning fee in the last three years; how much was charged for each clean; which contractor performed the deep clean and how the standard for that clean was assessed.

Mark Lancaster: From 1 November 2014 to 31 March 2016, 6,230 Service Family Accommodation (SFA) houses have been subject to the Walkaway (deep clean) scheme. This is a voluntary scheme and individuals can choose to undertake the cleaning themselves. Data prior to this date is not held. Customers may select various cleaning options for which the average spend is £219 (exc. VAT). A full schedule of rates in relation to the scheme is published on the CarillionAmey websitehttp://www.carillionamey.co.uk/media/263572/ca_walk_away_cleaning_and_gardening_schedule_of_rates.pdfA list of contractors who clean properties is shown in the following table: CONTRACTORREGION COVEREDAmey Community LtdSW, Central – EastJones & Hampton LtdCentral - WestGB Electrical LtdSW, Central – WestOffice & General Environmental ServicesSouth EastCLC Contractors Ltd CentralNorthTeam Q Ltd (until 1 March 2016)ScotlandAmey Community Ltd (since 1 March 2016)ScotlandTurkingtons LtdNorthern Ireland  The CarillionAmey Accommodation Officer is responsible for checking the work has been completed and is to move in standard prior to occupation by a service family.

Armed Forces: Housing

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many challenges to the new Service Family Accommodation gradings have resulted in  a change of banding since 1 February 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many challenges to the new Service Family Accommodation gradings have been received by the Cost Assurance and Analysis Service since 1 February 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: Between 1 February 2016 and 17 April 2016 a total of 1,675 challenges to the Combined Accommodation Assessment System (CAAS) were received by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation - 24 of these resulted in changes to CAAS bandings.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what guidance his Department issues to Commanding Officers dealing with allegations of sexual assault, voyeurism and sexual activity in a public lavatory as set out in Schedule 2 of the Armed Forces Act 2006.

Mark Lancaster: Commanding Officers (COs) are under a statutory duty, under the Armed Forces Act 2006, to ensure that allegations of any offences, including those mentioned here which are not on Schedule 2, are investigated appropriately. If a CO becomes aware of an allegation or circumstances which would indicate to a reasonable person that one of these offences has been committed, he must ensure that it is investigated appropriately. The allegation must, therefore, be reported to the Service police if it would be appropriate.Guidance for COs about their responsibilities in relation to the investigation of offences is set out in The Manual of Service Law at Volume 1, Chapter 6. Paragraph 30A refers to the offences of sexual assault, voyeurism, sexual activity in a public lavatory and exposure, stating that the CO should take legal advice to assist him in making the most appropriate decision as to who should investigate such matters and that there is a presumption that a CO should normally ensure that the Service police are aware of such an allegation. The CO has access to legal advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week.Guidance in the Manual of Service law does not preclude the Armed Forces from issuing further policy on this issue, if this would best meet the needs of their own Service. The Army and Royal Navy have therefore decided to issue a policy instruction to the effect that any cases with a sexual element should be referred to the Service Police for investigation, and the Royal Air Force is currently considering whether to adopt the same approach.

Armed Forces: Crimes of Violence

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2016 to Question 33374, what the conviction rate was for each offence in each year since 2009.

Mark Lancaster: The Service Prosecuting Authority is responsible for prosecutions for the offences of rape, sexual assault and domestic violence when reported and referred to the Royal Military Police. Information on conviction rates for the last three years has been published and can be found at the following link:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-04-11/33351/For information for each year since 2009, I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

Ministry of Defence: Secondment

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) serving military personnel and (b) civilian staff were seconded to (i) the Joint Intelligence Organisation's Assessments Staff and (ii) the National Security Secretariat within the Cabinet Office during 2015.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence is able to confirm that one member of civilian staff was seconded to the Joint Intelligence Organisation's Assessments Staff and two members of civilian staff were seconded to the National Security Secretariat within the Cabinet Office during 2015. For information on Service personnel seconded to these bodies, I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

Veterans: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of ex-service people with post-traumatic stress disorder in each of the last 10 years.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence does not hold any estimates of the number of veterans diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Responsibility for the delivery of clinical and mental healthcare of our veterans lies with the National Health Service in England and the Devolved Administrations.The Department is committed to supporting members of our Armed Forces Community. I am pleased that good progress has been made in implementing the entirety of Dr Andrew Murrison's excellent 'Fighting Fit' report and in the provision of funding for national and community based projects to support veterans experiencing mental health issues.

Armed Forces: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the processes and policies in place proactively to identify symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in service-people returning from war zones.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a range of processes in place to look after the mental health of personnel both on, and returning, from operations, including Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) and the post-operational decompression period. Personnel are given briefings on the possible psychological after-effects of deployment, as well as advice on seeking help and treatment if required. Efforts are being made to reduce the stigma that can be attached to all mental health issues, including PTSD, and this may be encouraging more Service personnel to come forward.The MOD has also been working closely with King's College London on a two-year study, funded by the US Department of Defense, looking at a possible post-operational mental health screening tool. The study was undertaken using UK Armed Forces personnel, and the results are currently being analysed. When published, the study will help us to understand the efficacy of screening; to consider whether such a tool would benefit the UK Armed Forces; and provide evidence on which the US can gauge its current policy on mental health screening.

Ministry of Defence: Tunisia

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) military and (b) civilian UK personnel are currently deployed in Tunisia; and in what capacity such personnel are deployed.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned duration is of the current deployment of UK military personnel to Tunisia.

Penny Mordaunt: The Ministry of Defence has 10 military and no civilian personnel currently deployed in Tunisia. Two personnel form the enduring British Embassy Defence Section, comprised of the Defence Attache and his assistant. The remaining eight personnel are deployed on a temporary basis, subject to regular review, and are either coordinating or delivering training to Tunisia's security institutions or supporting UN and EU missions in-country.

Armed Forces: GCE A-level

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many enlisted soldiers gained A-levels while serving in the armed forces in each of the last five years; and in which subjects those A-levels were obtained.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 April to Question 33691. Like GCSEs, individual soldiers are free to pursue A-levels as part of their elective personal development with the support of learning credits schemes, but the details of such A-level qualifications are not held centrally. 



Armed Forces : GCSE
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Armed Forces: GCSE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33689, how many teachers of GCSE (a) English and (b) mathematics were employed by the armed forces in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold figures on the number of teachers employed to teach GCSE English and Mathematics. The Ministry of Defence provides Service personnel with a range of educational, learning, development and resettlement opportunities through a number of training centres and apprenticeship programmes. The main learning centres have English and Mathematics tutors who are employed to teach functional skills in numeracy and literacy and can also support GCSEs. However, teachers are not employed specifically to teach GCSEs.Over 95% of recruits are enrolled into an Apprenticeship Programme each year, regardless of their age, which ensures that Service personnel gain a Level 2 in numeracy and literacy. This is the equivalent of a GCSE. In addition, there are Functional Skills Deliverers who work as part of apprenticeship delivery in the training establishments and can support learning for GCSEs. However, they are more focused on providing functional skills.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Homelessness: Nationality

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2016 to Question 31152, whether his Department plans to (a) record the nationalities of homeless people and rough sleepers and (b) use such nationality data to help tackle the root causes of homelessness.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department publishes statistics on local authority assistance to foreign nationals under homelessness provisions of the 1996 Housing Act. The latest statistics are available from table 785 of statutory homelessness statistics (see https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness).The Department does not require local authorities to submit data on the nationality of rough sleepers. However, we are considering the recommendations set out in the UK Statistics Authority report ‘Statistics on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping in England’ and are working on a development plan on how our statistics might best meet the need of users. On 12th April we held the first of a series of events with charities, local authorities and other users of our statistics. As part of those discussions the Department will consider what data we need to collect on rough sleepers.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Cheshire

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority by 2020.

Mr Mark Francois: No jobs have been abolished or relocated since 2010, or will be abolished or relocated by 2020, in East Cheshire Local Authority in my Department or its Arms Length Bodies.

Transport: Sustainable Development

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that the £500 million Access Fund is spent on sustainable transport projects.

James Wharton: The £500 million Access Fund is part of the Department for Transport's overall contribution to the Local Growth Fund in this spending review period. As with the majority of the Local Growth Fund it is available to Local Enterprise Partnerships to bid for and spend in line with their own priorities. LEPs are already planning to spend considerably more than £500 million on sustainable transport and we would encourage them to propose ambitious sustainable transport measures in their further growth deal bids this year.

Local Growth Deals

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how funding is allocated for the Local Growth Fund; and if he will publish formal guidance on the bidding process for local enterprise partnerships.

James Wharton: The Local Growth Fund is competitively awarded to Local Enterprise Partnerships based on the strength of their plans for driving economic growth in their areas. The Secretary of State has written to all LEPs setting out the basis on which further awards will be made later this year. The government is encouraging bold and ambitious bids for this further funding, which will be assessed competitively based on the quality of the proposals submitted.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the National Audit Office report of March 2016 on Local Enterprise Partnerships, HC887.

James Wharton: We welcome the findings in the report, and the helpful scrutiny of our approach. As the report recognises, the Government is pursuing an ambitious devolution agenda, aimed at empowering local areas through devolution of powers and budgets. We have put clear assurance systems in place with the right balance of local and central accountability. We will continue to work with Local Enterprise Partnerships and local places to ensure this system remains robust.

Local Government: Cheshire

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether a devolution deal with Cheshire and Warrington is dependent on the introduction of an elected mayor.

James Wharton: Devolution deal proposals must be led and agreed by local partners—the Government will not impose an arrangement on any area. What we are saying, though, is that if an area wants far-reaching control over major powers and budgets, we will expect that deal to include a directly-elected mayor covering the whole area.

Parish Councils

Mims Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many parish councils were created in the last Parliament.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government received notification of some 40 newly created Parish Councils during the last Parliament.

Social Services: Finance

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of local authorities expected to have a shortfall in adult social care funding after implementation of the two per cent social care precept.

Mr Marcus Jones: No such estimate has been made. Local authorities have the freedom and flexibility to prioritise and make their own decisions on how they spend their budgets and meet their statutory duties (including in relation to adult social care). The Government has provided a package of support of up to £3.5 billion to ensure councils are able to support up to some of their older and most vulnerable residents. This is greater than the Local Government Association’s £2.9 billion estimate set out in their Spending Review submission.

Local Government: Cost Effectiveness

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities have submitted efficiency plans as part of the multi-year settlement offer.

Mr Marcus Jones: Since the announcement of the multi-year settlement offer in December 2015, we have recorded interest from one hundred councils.Councils have until 14 October 2016 to apply to accept the offer of a multi-year settlement and submit their efficiency plan.

Allotments

Mims Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what measures his Department has in place for helping to ensure that areas without parish or town councils are (a) serving demand for allotments and (b) ensuring adequate protection for currently designated allotment land.

Brandon Lewis: Responsibility for the provision and management of allotments rests with local authorities. Section 23 of the Allotments and Smallholdings Act 1908 places a duty on councils (excluding London Boroughs) to provide allotments where they perceive there is a demand for them. This is a matter for each council bound by the duty to determine.Local authorities are required under Section 8 of the Allotments Act 1925 to obtain consent from the Secretary of State to dispose of statutory allotments. Section 8 applications are considered against criteria set out by the Secretary of State. The department published guidance in January 2014 - Allotment Disposal Guidance: Safeguards and alternatives - which clarifies the legal and policy safeguards in place to ensure that disposal is properly and thoroughly handled. The guidance is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/allotment-disposal-guidance-safeguards-and-alternatives.

Forests: Planning

Mims Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of protection within the National Planning Policy Framework for ancient woodland.

James Wharton: The existing protection for ancient woodland in the National Planning Policy Framework is strong. The Framework is clear that planning permission should be refused for development resulting in the loss or deterioration of irreplaceable habitats, including ancient woodland, unless the need for, and benefits of, the development in that location clearly outweigh the loss.

Planning

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to review the operation of the National Planning Policy Framework before the end of the current Parliament.

Brandon Lewis: The National Planning Policy Framework, written clearly and simply, has made the planning system more accessible and replaced over a thousand pages of national policy. We keep policy in the Framework under constant review. A consultation on specific changes to the Framework, aimed at increasing housing supply in sustainable locations, closed on 22 February. We are analysing the responses.

HM Treasury

EU Institutions: Contributions

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the Government's (a) gross and (b) net contribution  to EU institutions in 2014; and what the UK's balance of payments with those institutions was in that year.

Mr David Gauke: Complete outturn figures, including receipts administered by public sector bodies and those received directly by beneficiaries, for the UK’s gross and net contribution to the EU Budget in 2014 can be found in Table 3B, page 16, of HM Treasury’s European Union Finances 2015 publication (Cm 9167) which is available from the House library and on gov.uk. No estimates are provided, as outturns for 2014 are available. The Government does not produce an estimate of the UK’s balance of payments with EU institutions.  The UK’s contributions fluctuate between years. Over the years 2010 to 2014, the UK’s contributions averaged around £7.1bn. This means that for every pound paid in tax, a little over 1p goes to the EU. An explanation of these figures can be found in Annex B of HM Treasury’s analysis of the long-term economic impact of EU membership and the alternatives.

Child Benefit: Foreign Nationals

William Wragg: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 April 2016 to Question (32664) what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of child benefit payments paid to non-UK citizens in each year since 2010-11.

Damian Hinds: The Government has made it clear that UK rates of Child Benefit should not be paid to EU children overseas. The Government paper, ‘The best of both worlds: the United Kingdom’s special status in a reformed European Union, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/502291/54284_EU_Series_No1_Web_Accessible.pdf, sets out what was agreed at the February European Council.

Individual Savings Accounts

Julian Knight: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of people taking out a lifetime ISA who will take that ISA in the form of (a) a cash only lifetime ISA and (b) an equity investment lifetime ISA in each of the first three years that those ISAs are available.

Harriett Baldwin: The new Lifetime ISA will provide savers with the flexibility to save towards a first home and retirement at the same time. From April 2017, people aged 18 to 40 will be able to save up to £4,000 each year into a Lifetime ISA and receive a 25% bonus from the Government. The Lifetime ISA is a voluntary product. For further information on the costing of this policy, please see page 9 of the Budget 2015 Policy Costings document: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/508147/PU1912_Policy_Costings_FINAL3.pdf ISA statistics are published on the GOV.UK website. Table 9.7 sets out the number of individuals subscribing to ISAs: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/number-of-individuals-subscribing-to-an-individual-savings-account-isa-by-income

Treasury: Cheshire

Tristram Hunt: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority by 2020.

Mr David Gauke: No jobs in the Treasury or non-Departmental public bodies, executive agencies, advisory bodies falling under its remit have been abolished or relocated in the regions or time frames stated in the question. In April 2011, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) – a non-ministerial Department falling under the remit of the Chancellor – closed Crewe House, an Enquiry Centre (EC), and relocated to Hornbeam House in Crewe. In 2014, following HMRC’s decision to close all ECs, the EC in Crewe was closed. In May 2011, Craven House, Macclesfield was closed and the EC relocated to Macclesfield Town Hall. In 2014, following HMRC’s decision to close all ECs, the EC in Macclesfield was closed.

Welfare Tax Credits

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's latest estimate is of the number of parents with children who will be claiming tax credits in April 2017.

Damian Hinds: In April 2017 there is estimated to be approximately 4.2m claimants in receipt of tax credits. Of which 3.7 will be families with children.

Revenue and Customs: Telford

Lucy Allan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2016 to Question 30728, what plans HM Revenue and Customs has for the future of its staff currently working in Abbey House and Parkside Court after the expiration of the leases of those buildings.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) occupies Abbey House, Telford, under the terms of its STEPS PFI contract which runs to 2 April 2021. The Department has a rolling agreement with Land Registry to use part of their space at Parkside Court. In November 2015, HMRC announced its plans to create a Regional Centre in Birmingham and a Specialist Site in Telford as part of its UK wide Building our Future Locations Programme. HMRC will use flexibility provisions within its occupancy agreements at both Abbey House and Parkside Court to align their closure with the opening of its new facilities. Specialist roles will remain in Telford with others moving to the new Regional Centre.

Treasury: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) full-time equivalent civil servants work in his Department and (b) civil servants work full-time on the Northern Powerhouse agenda.

Harriett Baldwin: Data for full-time equivalent Civil servants working in HM Treasury are published on .gov.uk and can be found using the link below. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmt-workforce-management-information-december-2015  We are unable to supply information on employees who may work on the Northern Powerhouse agenda as our system does not give a breakdown of staff to that level. Therefore to supply this information would be at a disproportionate cost.

Credit: Interest Rates

Alison Thewliss: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward proposals for tighter regulation of companies that carry out payment processing on behalf of payday loan companies.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government has fundamentally reformed regulation of the consumer credit market, transferring regulatory responsibility from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 1 April 2014. This more robust regulatory system is helping to deliver the Government’s vision for a well-functioning and sustainable consumer credit market which is able to meet consumers’ needs. The FCA has incorporated key elements of OFT guidance on continuous payment authorities (CPAs) into its rules. In particular, firms are required not to use CPA if there is reason to believe that there are insufficient funds in the borrower’s account, or that this will leave insufficient funds for priority debts or other essential living expenses. Lenders must also show forbearance if there is evidence of financial difficulty. The FCA have introduced rules to limit payday lenders’ use of CPAs to two unsuccessful attempts to withdraw funds from the customer’s account. The FCA has also banned CPA part payment, so that a lender can only take payment if the whole owed sum is available in the customer’s account. The FCA can use its flexible rule-making powers to take further action where it deems necessary to protect consumers.

London Stock Exchange: Deutsche Borse

Andrew Rosindell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the anti-trust implications of the proposed merger between the London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Börse.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for economic security of the proposed merger between the London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Börse.

Harriett Baldwin: Once formally notified of the proposed merger, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority (as supervisors of the London Stock Exchange Group’s UK-authorised subsidiaries) must assess the proposal from a regulatory standpoint. In addition the proposed merger must be approved by competition authorities and is subject to a range of other assessments including those of overseas regulators and shareholders.

Tony Blair

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information he holds on what discussions have taken place between HM Revenue and Customs and former Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair or his advisers about (a) Mr Blair's tax affairs and (b) charges brought in under the Finance Act 2006 as they relate to those tax affairs.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs does not divulge details about an individual’s tax affairs.

Financial Services: Rural Areas

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to facilitate the establishment of community banks that are willing to service rural communities and small local economies.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government is committed to creating the right regulatory environment that allows banks to enter and expand within the market, and serve customers and communities effectively. This is why the Government has substantially lowered barriers to entry by introducing more proportionate requirements for new banks and establishing the New Bank Start-up Unit run by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, and creating the Payment Systems Regulator to ensure all banks can access payment systems on fair and equal terms.In addition, this Government has committed to support the credit union movement to make financial services more accessible. Credit unions are community-based financial institutions which already provide services to under-served and financially excluded communities.

Public Expenditure

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the analysis by the Women's Budget Group, that the distributional analysis that was produced alongside the Budget fails to adequately analyse the impact on women and men, either as individuals or across different types of households.

Harriett Baldwin: The government’s distributional analysis at Budget shows the proportion of tax paid and public services spending received by households. It shows that the richest fifth of households will be paying a greater proportion of taxes in 2019-20 than in the 2010-11 system as a result of government policy, while half of all spending on welfare and public services is still going to the poorest 40% of households. In contrast with the government’s approach, the analysis produced by the Women’s Budget Group focuses on immediate cash impacts and assumes that extra government borrowing can make everyone better off. This ignores the fact that borrowing needs to be paid for and harms our long term economic security.

Wholesale Trade: Alcoholic Drinks

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the businesses and sectors which have failed to sign up to the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme; what steps his Department is taking to ensure that such businesses sign up to that scheme; and what steps his Department is taking to exclude from the market those businesses suspected to be trading fraudulently and which did not register by the 31 March 2016 deadline.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many wholesalers have been found as a result of their failure to sign up to the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme to have been trading in alcohol fraudulently since the introduction of that scheme

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses had signed up for the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme by the 31 March 2016 application deadline; whether the number of businesses was in line with the 20,000 businesses that HM Revenue and Customs estimated could be required to register; and what steps are being taken to tackle any shortfall in numbers.

Damian Hinds: From April 2017, HMRC will be making publicly available details of alcohol wholesalers who are approved. From then, retailers who buy from unapproved wholesalers will be liable to a fine. HMRC is now assessing the applications it has received against the scheme’s approval criteria. The number of applications received are lower than HMRCs initial estimate of 21,000 businesses that could be wholesaling alcohol. There could be a number of reasons for this, and HMRC is currently comparing the applications received with original expectations and encouraging businesses that have not applied to do so, to mitigate penalties and the likelihood of enforcement action. Where businesses have been purposefully fraudulently trading, HMRC will take action. It is too early to report outcomes of any investigations into illicit trading that HMRC are undertaking since the introduction of the scheme.

Treasury Select Committee

Julie Cooper: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times he has attended public meetings of the Treasury Committee since his appointment.

Harriett Baldwin: This is a matter of public record.

Government: Assets

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total receipt from government asset sales was in 2015-16.

Greg Hands: Reporting on asset sales is made on a financial year basis in departmental accounts. During the 2015-16 financial year the government received around £25bn from sales of commercial and financial assets.

National Savings Bonds: Pensioners

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to introduce further Pensioner Bonds with a higher interest rate than is available commercially.

Harriett Baldwin: 65+ Guaranteed Growth Bonds were a special issue aimed at helping pensioners who rely on their savings in retirement. There are currently no plans for a further issue.

Air Passenger Duty

Nia Griffith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects the Government's review of English regional airports potentially affected by the devolution of Air Passenger Duty to be completed.

Damian Hinds: At Summer Budget 2015, HM Treasury published a discussion paper exploring three options to support English regional airports from the potential impacts of APD devolution. We are carefully considering the responses received to the discussion paper and will respond in due course. Any final announcements will be informed by the decision on APD devolution to Wales and the decisions of the Scottish Government on the implementation of an APD replacement.

EU Budget: Contributions

Jack Lopresti: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the UK public finances of fluctuations in the Pound Sterling-Euro exchange rate causing an increase in the amount of the UK's contribution to the EU budget; and what contingencies he has arranged for such circumstances.

Mr David Gauke: Member States’ contributions to the EU Budget are made in national currency based on an exchange rate fixed on the last working day before the start of the EU Budget year. There are no subsequent fluctuations to that exchange rate.

Department for Transport

Driverless Vehicles: Electromagnetic Fields

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has conducted research on the potential effect on levels of exposure to electromagnetic emissions of multiple autonomous vehicles operating in the same area.

Andrew Jones: All new vehicles are required to comply with United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE) Regulation 10, which governs the level of electromagnetic emissions from individual vehicles.

Department for Transport: Cheshire

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority by 2020.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In the Department for Transport itself, no posts have been based in East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010.The Department’s Executive Agencies (Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Vehicle Certification Agency and Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) have had no posts based in East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010, other than DVLA. DVLA Chester Local Office was closed in November 2013, as part of a programme of closures, rationalising the DVLA estate and centralising work at the main headquarters in Swansea. There were 16 Civil Service posts based out of this office. Staff were offered the opportunity to relocate to the DVLA in Swansea. Two staff chose to transfer out to other government departments within the region; one member of staff came to the end of their contract and 13 staff chose to take redundancy rather than relocate.There are currently no plans to increase or decrease the number of posts in the East Cheshire Local Authority between now and 2020.We are not aware of any jobs being based in East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 in the wider accountable statutory bodies.

Electric Vehicles

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department is offering to local authorities to promote the provision of electric car charging points.

Andrew Jones: This Government has committed to spend more than £600 million in this Parliament to support the uptake and manufacturing of electric vehicles in the UK. 61 Local Authorities have already benefitted from £12.8m of funding to deploy chargepoints across the UK. This included 253 rapid chargepoints and 587 fast chargepoints in train stations and public sector workplaces. The UK now has over 11,000 public chargepoints. In January Bristol, London, Milton Keynes and Nottingham were awarded funding of £35 million to promote green vehicles, as winners of the Go Ultra Low city scheme. A further £5m was awarded to the North East Combined Authority, Dundee, York and Oxford. We estimate that this scheme will deliver around 750 new publically accessible charge points. Our Local Authority-led schemes for low emission buses and taxis will also contribute towards the cost of new charging infrastructure, and we will shortly announce details of further support for the UK’s growing charging network. In addition to public infrastructure provision, grants of £500 are available towards the cost of installing a domestic chargepoint, with over 18,000 now installed.

Cycling: Safety

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government has taken to increase the safety of cycling.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government is fully committed to creating a safe environment for all road users, and in particular vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians. Sections 204 – 225 of the Highway Code, aims to educate and remind drivers of the needs of more vulnerable road users including cyclists. A revised Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions came into force on 22 April, which contains a number of measures, including low level cycle signals, a new type of crossing and changes to advanced stop lines, designed to improve the safety of cyclists on the road. TSRGD also includes changes making it easier for local authorities to introduce 20mph speed limits in residential areas. We are also working on wider cyclist safety in other ways, including changes to vehicle design, publicity campaigns, and mandatory training for HGV drivers and optional training for cyclists, including extending the Bikeability programme of cycle training. Bikeability provides trainees with riding skills suited to the road, but also explains the importance of obeying the Highway Code, the correct use of safety equipment, and sharing the road with other people.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria local authorities will be measured against when applications for funding from the Pothole Action Fund are considered.

Andrew Jones: The Pothole Action Fund is worth £250 million over the next five years to local highway authorities in England, outside London. On 7 April the Government announced the share each local highway authority will receive from the £50 million available for 2016/17. Funding for this year was allocated according to the length of the road network each local highway authority is responsible for as set out in the Department for Transport Road Statistics Publication. Gloucestershire County Council received £1,006,000 from the Pothole Action Fund in 2016/17. Further details, including the share of the funding allocated to each local highway authority, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cash-for-councils-to-fill-almost-1-million-potholes No decisions have yet been taken in respect of future years allocations from the Fund.

Offshore Industry: Redundancies

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to prevent redundancies of British crews and their replacement with cheaper foreign crews in the offshore supply sector.

Mr Robert Goodwill: International maritime law recognises that the legislation of the flag state is normally applied onboard a vessel and therefore the UK Government is unable to insist its legislation (including employment legislation) is applied on non-UK registered vessels. However rules on redundancy are quite clearly defined in UK legislation and a UK seafarer, working on a UK registered vessel, would be protected by the legislation even where the vessel operates in international waters. If it is believed that this legislation has been circumvented then there is potentially grounds for unfair dismissal and, if necessary, this can be pursued through an employment tribunal.

Shipping: Pay

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the measures in place in each EU member state to tackle nationality-based pay discrimination against seafarers.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In 2015 my officials contacted all of the EU member states with a maritime sector to determine how they approached this issue. The responses we received suggested that the general approach harmonised closely with our own. To seek information from a broader base, as part of the Post Implementation Review of the Equality Act 2010 (currently being undertaken by my department) social partners have been surveyed about any evidence they may have which would indicate that nationality-based pay discrimination is prohibited in other member states. This review is due for publication in summer 2016.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the current length of time is between a penalty notice being issued under the Dart Charge scheme and the date of the offence.

Andrew Jones: The majority of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) are currently issued between 5 and 15 days from the time of contravention (midnight the day after crossing).

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward proposals to prevent Dart Charge payments made by drivers of leased vehicles being registered to previous drivers of the same vehicle who have not paid that charge.

Andrew Jones: All drivers have until midnight the day after crossing to pay the road user charge. This extended time period, which provides flexibility for the majority of users, makes it more complex to match payments for a crossing made by a previous hirer of the same vehicle. Highways England and the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association are working together to assess what more can be done to assist the small number of companies and their customers who may be affected by this.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward proposals to prevent vehicle lease or hire companies receiving fines for non-payment of the Dart Charge in place of the driver of the vehicle.

Andrew Jones: As required by legislation, Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) are issued to the registered keeper of the vehicle, which can be lease and hire companies. Lease and hire companies are then able to transfer the liability for the PCN to the vehicle’s driver at the time the contravention occurred by providing Highways England with the relevant details.

Rapid Transit Systems: North East

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of improving metro services in the North East and extending such services into Easington constituency.

Andrew Jones: My Department is supporting Nexus in delivering an 11 year programme of works to renew and improve the Tyne and Wear Metro. This work is being funded with over £300 million of grant from DfT and includes refurbishment of the Metrocar fleet, modernisation of 60 stations, introduction of new ‘smart’ ticketing machines, barriers and technologies, and a new communications system. Nexus is also overhauling and maintaining structures such as bridges and tunnels, track and overhead power lines. As part of the North East Devolution Deal, Nexus will be submitting a business case shortly that covers the replacement of the existing rolling stock and signalling as well as any proposals for expanding the Metro network.

Railways: Fares

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will request that train operating companies publish the criteria they use for calculating rail fares.

Claire Perry: The rail fares we regulate have been capped at inflation (Retail Price Index) for three years running, and will continue to be capped for the life of this parliament. The Government sets the maximum amount by which regulated fares can rise. Details of how fares regulation applies to train operators can be found in Schedule 5 of the Franchise Agreement which can be found on the Department’s website. Other fares are unregulated, and train operators are permitted to set these on a commercial basis.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/public-register-of-rail-passenger-franchise-agreements

A1(M): Hertfordshire

Sir Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2015 to Question 18426, what progress has been made on design development for the A1(M) Widening Scheme.

Andrew Jones: Highways England Delivery Plan, published in 2015, includes the introduction of smart motorways on the A1(M) between Junctions 6 and 8. This will provide improved capacity and better access, and should unlock much of the growth potential around Stevenage. The scheme is commencing design development works now.

Driving: Licensing

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanism is in place to allow drivers voluntarily to surrender their driving licence if assessed as unfit to drive.

Andrew Jones: Drivers who decide to stop driving may voluntarily surrender their driving licence by confirming this in writing and returning their licence to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). Alternatively, they may complete a form which is available on GOV.UK or from the DVLA.

Travel: Concessions

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether concessionary travel passes are available for drivers prevented from driving whilst their medical condition is being assessed.

Andrew Jones: The national disabled person’s concessionary travel pass is evidence based. Assessment of a person’s eligibility for a disabled person’s bus pass is conducted by local Travel Concession Authorities. Unless they deem the applicant to be automatically eligible, a pass will not be granted until evidence has been provided and where necessary an assessment has been completed. The Government issues guidance to assist them in doing this.

Department for Transport: Staff

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) male and (b) female employees (i) his Department, (ii) Network Rail, (iii) Highways England, (iv) HS2 Ltd, (v) the Office of Rail and Road, (vi) the DVLA, (vii) the Drive Vehicle Standards Agency and (viii) the VCA has.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The numbers of male and female employees as at 31st March 2016 are as follows: (a)(b)OrganisationMaleFemale I. DfT(c)1,267798 II. Network Rail31,6585,696 III. Highways England2,5741,297 IV. HS2 Ltd446307 V. Office of Rail and Road192120 VI. Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)2,4033,803 VII. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)3,1991,305 VIII. Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA)11442

Aviation: Public Transport Obligations

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33638, whether his Department has recently requested any advice from the European Commission on the compliance with state aid rules of awarding Public Service Obligation subsidies that specify airports both origin and destination.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We have not requested any advice from the European Commission on the compliance with state aid rules of awarding Public Service Obligation subsidies that specify both airports’ origin and destination.

East Coast Railway Line

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2016 to Question 33988, whether Stagecoach or Virgin has proposed a reduction in the premium profile of the current InterCity East Coast franchise during the discussions referred to in that Answer.

Claire Perry: Stagecoach / Virgin have not made any proposals to reduce the premium profile of the current Intercity East Coast franchise.

Railways: Sunderland

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with rail franchises in the North of England on improving the service to Sunderland rail station.

Andrew Jones: Given that the Northern and TPE franchises only started on 1st April 2016, no such discussions have yet taken place and would in any case be led by the devolved franchise management team based in Leeds. ‎Separately, Virgin Trains East Coast introduced a new daily service to Sunderland on 14 December 2015.

Bridges: Halton

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2016 to Question 32463, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on his announcement of 23 April 2015 of a special scheme to help small businesses in Runcorn and Widnes using the new Mersey Gateway Bridge and the existing Silver Jubilee Bridge from 2017.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Secretary of State for Transport met with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 29th February 2016 and discussion included discount schemes on the Mersey Gateway Crossing. Officials in the Department for Transport and Her Majesty’s Treasury are continuing to work through the implications of any further extension of user discounts to the cost of the scheme and to the commercial structure of the contracts already signed for the scheme.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent changes there have been to Vehicle Certification Agency emissions testing; and what recent discussions he has had with Volkswagen on  progress on fixing all defeat devices.

Andrew Jones: The Vehicle Certification Agency’s (VCA) emissions testing is conducted to the requirements set out in the relevant type approval legislation. The Government has been pressing for action at an EU-level to improve emissions tests and we have already secured a tough new Real Driving Emissions test. From next year, vehicles will have to meet emissions limits in real driving conditions across a wide range of typical operating conditions. The Secretary of State has met with the Chief Executive of Volkswagen UK to press that the technical fixes are completed as quickly as possible for UK consumers. The VCA is working closely with the VW group and other approval authorities to evaluate the proposed technical solutions. They are carrying out tests to ensure that after the fix is applied the vehicles meet all the legal requirements including emissions, and that other vehicle characteristics are unchanged, including fuel consumption and engine noise.

Mitsubishi

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for testing of emissions data by the Vehicle Certification Agency of Mitsubishi Motors having falsified fuel economy data; what information his Department holds on the number of vehicles affected by their falsification in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: The Government takes very seriously any misrepresentation of fuel consumption data to consumers. The Vehicle Certification Agency publishes data on new and used passenger cars and vans and is liaising urgently with Mitsubishi Motors to ensure that information provided in the UK is accurate.VCA has not issued approvals for any of the vehicles reported to be affected in the Japanese market. However the Department for Transport will continue to monitor for updates concerning whether other models are affected.

Rail North

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what powers Rail North has in relation to the Northern and TransPennine Express franchises.

Andrew Jones: Whilst the franchise agreements are between the franchisees and the Secretary of State who also retains statutory powers under the Railways Act 1993 in relation to the franchises, the management of the Franchise Agreements is undertaken by a devolved team based in Leeds which reports to a Joint Rail North/DfT Strategic Board. In addition, Rail North Ltd has been ‎given certain specific powers, including the ability to vary the level of regulated fares for the Northern and TPE franchises, which would otherwise be determined by the Secretary of State as part of a national fares policy.

Rail North

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what legislation or regulations the establishment and functions of the Rail North and the Rail North Board are based.

Andrew Jones: The Association of Rail North Partner Authorities was established as a local government association under section 143 of the Local Government Act 1972 to discuss and consult as to their common interests on rail matters.The powers to establish and join Rail North Ltd are in the case of combined authorities their well-being power under section 102A (linked to section 99) of the Local Transport Act 2008 and/or their functional power of competence under section 113A of the Local Democracy, Economic Development Act 2009 (inserted by section 13 of the Localism Act 2011). In the case of county councils and unitary authorities the relevant power is their general power of competence under section 1 of the Localism Act 2011.

Rail North

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when it is planned that Rail North will take on full responsibility for the Northern and TPE franchises.

Andrew Jones: The Partnership agreement that I signed on 20th March 2015 with Rail North Ltd clearly signals our intention that Rail North takes greater devolved responsibility over time. It also sets out the process and criteria by which such decisions may be made. The new devolved management arrangements only started on 1st April 2016 and therefore no timescale or deadline has been set at this stage for full devolution to be achieved. A copy of the Partnership agreement can be found at http://www.railnorth.org/governance/rail-north-dft-partnership/.

Railways: Sexual Offences

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on whether there is a correlation between staffing levels on trains and stations and the number of reported sexual offences on trains and in stations.

Claire Perry: The Government considers the safety of passengers on the railway to be of paramount importance and is committed to reducing crime, anti-social behaviour and the fear of crime wherever it occurs in the transport system. The Department for Transport does not hold any information on whether there is a correlation between staffing levels on trains and stations and the number of reported sexual offences.

Rail North

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who the members are of (a) Rail North and (b) the Rail North Board; and how those members are appointed.

Andrew Jones: Members of Rail North: Blackburn with Darwen Borough CouncilBlackpool Borough CouncilCheshire East CouncilCheshire West & Chester CouncilCity of York CouncilCumbria County CouncilDarlington Borough CouncilDerbyshire County CouncilEast Riding of Yorkshire CouncilGreater Manchester Combined AuthorityHartlepool Borough CouncilHull City CouncilLancashire County CouncilLincolnshire County CouncilLiverpool City Region Combined Authority (Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral)Middlesbrough CouncilNorth East Combined Authority (Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle Upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland)North East Lincolnshire CouncilNorth Lincolnshire CouncilNorth Yorkshire County CouncilNottingham City CouncilNottinghamshire County CouncilRedcar and Cleveland Borough CouncilSheffield City Region Combined Authority (Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield)Staffordshire County CouncilStockton-on-Tees Borough CouncilStoke-on-Trent City CouncilWarrington Borough CouncilWest Yorkshire Combined Authority Rail North Ltd Board Directors are: Bill Dixon (Tees Valley)Chris Metcalf (North Yorkshire)David Brown (Cheshire and the Potteries)Dean Collins (East Midlands)John Fillis (Lancashire and Cumbria)Julie Dore (Sheffield City Region Combined Authority)Keith Wakefield (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)Liam Robinson (Liverpool City Region Combined Authority)Liz Redfern (Humber Authorities)Nick Forbes (North East Combined Authority)Richard Leese (Greater Manchester Combined Authority) Any Local transport Authority in the North of England area covered by Northern and TransPennine franchises is entitled to be a member of Rail North. Rail North Board Directors are appointed by the constituent authorities of the sub-areas they represent. Note that Tees Valley Authorities have recently formed a Combined Authority and will, on formal notification, be represented through that single body in the future.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with international partners on aid access to Madaya in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK is part of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG). The ISSG Humanitarian Task Force meets on a weekly basis to push for increased access across Syria, in line with relevant Security Council Resolutions. We have been pushing hard through these discussions for humanitarian access to be granted to all besieged and hard to reach places in Syria, including Madaya. As a result, humanitarian convoys have reached 11 besieged areas, including Madaya - several inter-agency convoys have reached a total of 150,000 people in besieged areas. This is out of a total of 487,000 people in besieged areas.However, progress is too slow. More needs to be done to provide for all those in need in Syria. We are also deeply concerned by reports of civilian deaths in Madaya because their medical evacuations were blocked. We are pressing for an end to the removal of medical equipment from convoys by the regime, the evacuation of critical medical cases and regular access to healthcare for besieged populations.

Israel: Palestinians

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Israeli authorities on the planned demolition of the Palestinian settlements of Susiya and Umm al-Hiran.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The British Embassy in Tel Aviv raises concerns with the Israeli Government on the issue of demolitions. Demolitions of Palestinian villages not only inflict unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians, but are harmful to the peace process, and in all by the most exceptional of cases, are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. In regards to demolitions of Bedouin villages in green-line Israel such as Umm al-Hiran, a solution must respect the equality of all Israel’s citizens, and be consistent with Israel’s commitments under international law.

Israel: Palestinians

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to raise the projected demolition of the villages of Susiya and Um Al Hiran with the government of Israel.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Our Embassy in Tel Aviv has raised UK concerns with the Israeli Government on the issue of demolitions.

Serbia: Elections

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received any reports of (a) violence against opposition officials, candidates and activists and (b) intimidation of journalists during the Parliamentary elections taking place in Serbia.

Mr Philip Hammond: Elections took place in Serbia on 24 April. The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) deployed a 22 person election monitoring mission and we and other countries fielded additional observers. We await final reports and ODIHR’s full and thorough assessment of the fairness and conduct of yesterday’s elections.

Islamic State: International Criminal Court

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in countries on the UN Security Council on referring crimes by Daesh to the International Criminal Court.

Mr Philip Hammond: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Iran: Foreign Relations

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the state of UK relations with Iran.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: 16 January 2016 marked Implementation Day of the Iran nuclear deal which, along with the subsequent lifting of international sanctions, has the potential to represent a new era in Iran’s relationship with the wider world. Since the Foreign Secretary reopened our Embassy in August 2015, significant progress has been made in developing the bilateral relationship between the UK and Iran. We welcomed Foreign Minister Zarif to London on 4 February 2016, in what was the first bilateral visit of an Iranian Foreign Minister since 2003. We look forward to the Business Secretary leading a trade delegation to Tehran in May, building on previous visits by Lord Maude and Transport Minister Robert Goodwill.

Serbia: Elections

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the fairness of conduct of elections in Serbia.

Mr Philip Hammond: Elections took place in Serbia on 24 April. The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) deployed a 22 person election monitoring mission and we and other countries fielded additional observers. We await final reports and ODIHR’s full and thorough assessment of the fairness and conduct of yesterday’s elections.

Gambia: Politics and Government

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Gambia on the arrest, alleged torture and deaths of Ousainou Darboe and other members of the Gambian Opposition United Democratic Party; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the government of Gambia release those other members of that party who are detained as soon as possible.

James Duddridge: The United Kingdom is deeply concerned over reports of excessive violence and allegations of ill treatment of those detained following peaceful demonstrations in The Gambia. I made a statement on 19 April calling on The Gambian authorities to investigate these allegations in a thorough and transparent manner, ensuring that anyone responsible for any wrongdoing is held accountable and brought to justice. Those in custody should either be charged or released immediately and be treated in accordance with internationally acceptable human rights standards. Our Ambassador in The Gambia formally raised our concerns with The Gambia’s Foreign Minister on 18 April and will continue to press The Gambian authorities on this issue.

Islamic State: International Criminal Court

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to request that the UN Security Council refer crimes by Daesh to the International Criminal Court.

Mr Philip Hammond: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Islamic State: International Criminal Court

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of 20 April 2016, Official Report, column 995, whether Daesh has committed crimes that should be referred to the International Criminal Court.

Mr Philip Hammond: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Development

Bangladesh: Working Conditions

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress has been made in implementing the commitments set out in the EU/Bangladesh Sustainability Compact.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Good progress has been made since the signing of the Sustainability Compact in Bangladesh in all three areas of commitment. On Labour rights, the adoption of the Bangladesh Labour Act 2013 and finalisation of the implementation rules of the Labour Law in October 2015 are important milestones. On health and safety, the Government of Bangladesh has adopted a robust National Health and Safety policy and inspection of 3,500+ factories for fire, electrical and building safety represents important progress. Private sector initiatives such as ‘The Accord’ and ‘The Alliance’ are making a big contribution to the safety of factory workers.

Bangladesh: Working Conditions

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether it is Government policy to link an extension of the Generalised System of Trade Preferences for Bangladesh to further improvements in that country's garment sector on factory safety and labour rights.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Duty-free, quota-free access to European Union (EU) markets is granted to Bangladesh on the basis of need in line with agreed EU regulations. These trade preferences have no expiry date, so an extension is not required, and there is no provision for the use of additional conditionality. Any reduction in Bangladesh's market access would result in immediate and long-term harm to the livelihoods of poor Bangladeshi workers.The UK Government supports the approach reflected in the ‘Bangladesh Sustainability Compact’ between the Government of Bangladesh, the EU, the USA, Canada and the International Labour Organization, which commits Bangladesh to improvements in occupational health and safety and respect for labour rights. UK officials are working closely with counterparts in Bangladesh to co-ordinate action to improve safety and labour rights in the country’s garment sector and DFID is supporting a number of programmes in this area.

Bangladesh: Industrial Relations

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has made representations to the government of Bangladesh on trade union recognition and adherence to ILO core labour standards in that country's export processing zones.

Mr Desmond Swayne: These issues are regularly discussed through a forum known as the 3 + 5, as part of efforts to ensure the full implementation of the sustainability compact with the objective of improving labour standards in Bangladesh. The 3 + 5 group has representatives from three Ministries of the Government of Bangladesh and 5 donor partners, including the UK.In addition, through the Private Sector Development Programme with the World Bank, DFID has supported the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority to develop a cadre of 60 labour counsellors who support improvements in labour standards in the zones.

Developing Countries: Roads

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on implementing UN General Authority motion A/70 L.44 which reaffirms SDG targets 3.6 and 11.2.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID officials meet regularly with both Department of Health (DoH) and Department for Transport (DfT) officials and work in a co-ordinated manner on international road safety, including UN General Authority motion A/70 L.44.

India: Overseas Aid

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the international aid budget has been spent on India in the last five years.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The table below provides details of total UK bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) to India as a percentage of total UK ODA. Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Percent of Bilateral ODA to Total ODA 6% 5% 3% 3% 2% 2%

Developing Countries: Religious Freedom

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the potential contribution of measures to support freedom of religion and belief to achieving (a) Sustainable Development Goal 16 and (b) other sustainable development goals.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK will continue to promote universal human rights as an integral part of building prosperity and stability around the world and attaches great importance to ensuring that people of all faiths can participate fully in society and live without fear of abuse or discrimination. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) leads on the UK’s work in promoting freedom of religion and belief overseas. DFID works closely with the FCO to raise concerns about freedom of religion with partner governments to ensure that all citizens can claim their rights. This is indeed part of our work to promote the golden thread of democracy, and achieve Goal 16 and the other Sustainable Development Goals. For the UK, the Sustainable Development Goals’ pledge to leave no one behind is one of the most important principles of the post-2015 Agenda. We have been a champion of Goal 16 to promote peaceful and inclusive societies and access to justice for all. We are working to ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals will be monitored closely.

World Humanitarian Summit

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will take steps to ensure that protection and empowerment of girls is given equal priority to that of women at the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016.

Mr Desmond Swayne: It is a priority of the UK to secure Summit outcomes that promote the protection and empowerment of both women and girls, strengthening their voices, choice and control in crisis settings. Women and girls share equal status within that priority.

World Humanitarian Summit

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will take steps to ensure that the global risk platform to be debated at the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016 meets the needs of people affected by natural and social disasters.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK is part of the discussions on the Global Risk Register and is helping to ensure they review how the national and international systems address the needs of affected populations quickly and effectively.

World Humanitarian Summit

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will take steps to address the issue of funding for child protection interventions in humanitarian contexts at the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The World Humanitarian Summit presents a major opportunity to reflect on the international humanitarian system, including how it delivers for the most vulnerable, such as children. The UK recognises the critical importance of protecting children in times of crisis and expects this issue to be raised at the Summit, where the UK will be launching new commitments on funding and delivering education in emergencies.

Palestinians: Water

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations the Government has made to the Israeli government on the confiscation near Qalqillhya on 7 May 2015 of 3,000 metres of water pipes funded by her Department as part of a project with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Palestinian Ministry of Ariculture.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The confiscated pipes have all been returned.

Developing Countries: Water

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of UK development assistance on the availability of clean water in the last 10 years in (a) sub-Saharan African countries and (b) other countries.

Mr Nick Hurd: Between 2011 and 2015, DFID reached 20.9 million people with access to clean drinking water. 60% of these results were delivered in sub-Saharan African countries. In addition we reached a further 42 million people with improved sanitation and hygiene. We met the Coalition target to reach 60 million people with water, sanitation and hygiene by December 2015 nine months early in April 2015.DFID supports international monitoring of access to water. This showed that in 2015, 91% of the global population used an improved drinking water source and 2.6 billion people had gained access since 1990. Globally, the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target on access to water was met. However, the target was not met for sub-Saharan Africa where in 2015, 68% of people had access to improved drinking water.We are currently formulating our new portfolio to deliver on the UK government’s commitment to help a further 60 million people get access to clean water and sanitation by 2020. We expect to maintain a significant proportion of this investment in sub-Saharan African countries, but will also support people in Asia to gain access to water and sanitation.

Department for Education

Further Education

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people leaving sixth form are fully aware of all further education options open to them.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We are taking a number of steps to ensure that the full range of education and training options are widely understood by young people. Schools are legally required to secure independent careers guidance for pupils up to the age of 18. This must include information on the full range of education and training options, including apprenticeships.Destination measures are a key tool to assess how well schools and colleges prepare their students to make a successful transition into the next stage of education or training, or employment. The key stage 5 measure looks at activity in the year after the young person took A level or other level 3 qualifications. Destination measures will be one of the headline performance measures in the 2016 performance tables if the data are robust enough. They are taken into account by Ofsted during school inspections.However, the range of information that young people receive remains too narrow and we want to ensure that young people hear much more consistently about the merits of alternatives to academic routes and are aware of all the routes to higher skills and into the workplace. The government intends to bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity that will require schools to allow other education and training providers the opportunity to talk to students about their offer on school premises.

Pupils: Electromagnetic Fields

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether any monitoring by (a) her Department or (b) other bodies is carried out in schools to ensure that children are not overly exposed to electromagnetic fields.

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department advises schools on the steps they should take to ensure that children are not over exposed to electromagnetic fields in schools.

Edward Timpson: The Department does not specifically monitor exposure to electromagnetic fields in schools. We provide advice to schools on health and safety matters. Schools must take reasonable steps to ensure that staff and pupils are not exposed to risks to their health and safety by conducting a risk assessment and, if necessary, putting measures in place to minimise any known risk. Schools should be aware that where concerns are raised that they can access the appropriate advice; Public Health England provides advice via GOV.UK[1] on exposure to electromagnetic fields in the everyday environment.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/electromagnetic-fields

Pupils: Foreign Nationals

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children attending primary school were born outside the UK.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not collect information about where pupils were born or their nationality.

Academies

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with teachers on her proposal that all schools be required to convert to academies.

Edward Timpson: The Secretary of State regularly meets teachers at a range of events while visiting schools and in meetings at the Department as well as headteacher reference groups and expert panels. In these meetings, the Secretary of State discusses the Government’s commitment to achieving educational excellence everywhere.

Members: Correspondence

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her letter of 9 October 2015, when she will provide a substantive answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill on concerns raised in that letter on behalf of Mr M. Ikhlaq.

Nick Gibb: In her letter of 30 November 2015, my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Education stated that we would provide a full response as soon as further consideration of Mr Ikhlaq’s case is complete. She will write to the Rt Hon Member shortly.

Academies: Admissions

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans for local authorities to continue to receive basic need allocations of capital for new school places under her proposals for all schools to become academies.

Edward Timpson: Local authorities will continue to be responsible for ensuring there are enough school places to meet demand and supporting them to do this will remain one of the government’s top priorities for this Parliament. That is why we allocate funding to local authorities based on their own estimates of the number of places they will need and will continue to do so. We have committed to spending £7 billion on school places up to 2021 which, along with our investment in the free schools programme, we expect to deliver 600,000 new places. Local authorities have always relied on their strong relationships with local schools to deliver the places needed and this will not change as more schools convert to become academies.

Free School Meals

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which (a) primary and (b) secondary school in each English education authority has the (i) lowest and (ii) highest proportion of children on free school meals.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Information about the proportion of pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals in each Local Authority is available for each school in the underlying data of the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2015’[1] statistics. The highest and lowest rates in each local authority can be determined readily from these figures.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2015 - Please refer to file titled ‘Underlying data’ and open the file titled ‘SFR16_2015_Schools_Pupils_UD’. The highest and lowest rates of pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals can be determined based on the ‘LA name’, ‘School Name’, and ‘% of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals’ columns. To split into primary and secondary schools, use the ‘Phase-type grouping’ column.

Children in Care: Mental Health Services

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2016 to Question 32295, what progress has been made on undertaking a psychological assessment for every child who enters the UK care system.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2016 to Question 32295, what proportion of children in care had Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire scores which required further assessment be given to those children in each of the last three years.

Edward Timpson: The number and percentage of children looked after who had an SDQ score that suggested their emotional and behavioural health was considered ‘normal’, ‘borderline’ and ‘cause for concern’ is published in national table I5b of the Statistical First Release ‘Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers), year ending 31 March 2015’. This is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2014-to-2015 .The statutory guidance Promoting the health and wellbeing of looked-after children suggests that there should be further investigation by triangulating SDQs completed by the carer and other professionals, where a score indicates the emotional and behavioural health is ‘borderline’ or ‘cause for concern’. Where that confirms the ‘borderline’ or ‘cause for concern’ score there is consideration of a more diagnostic assessment.Local authorities, as the corporate parent with responsibility for care planning along with their health partners, will establish whether a looked-after child needs a psychological assessment. The Department does not prescribe whether such an assessment should take place. The Departments of Education and Health are working jointly with NHS England, and others, with an expert group to develop care pathways to better meet the mental health needs of looked-after children. Alison O’Sullivan and Professor Peter Fonagy have just been appointed as co-chairs of the group, whose work will consider the range of assessments needed.

New Schools Network

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many successful free school applications have been assisted by the New Schools Network in each year since 2010.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the annual salary was for directors at the New Schools Network in each year since 2010.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether directors at the New Schools Network are required to declare any interests in relation to their position at that charity.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has allocated to the New Schools Network in each year since 2010.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many unsuccessful free school applications have been facilitated by the New Schools Network in each year since 2010.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many complaints her Department has received on the activities of the New Schools Network in each year since 2010.

Edward Timpson: The New Schools Network (NSN) is an independent charity that aims to improve the quality of education in the state sector, particularly for the most deprived children. NSN currently receives a grant from the Department for Education, which it secured following an open competition in 2013. The grant expires in March 2017. The salary of NSN’s director is entirely a matter for the charity’s board of trustees, as are other terms of employment, such as declaring any interests in relation to their position. NSN’s annual accounts are available from the Charity Commission’s webpages at: http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/registerhomepage.aspx. The accounts include details of NSN’s income, including its grant funding from the department. NSN provides a wide range of assistance for free school applicants from online information freely available to everyone to more bespoke support for applicants enrolled on its development programme. NSN estimates it has worked with around 70 per cent of all successful free school applicants. We have never received a formal complaint about NSN.

Schools: Somerton and Frome

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to meet demand for school places in Somerton and Frome constituency.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Supporting local authorities to ensure sufficient school places continues to be one of the Government’s top priorities. That is why we have committed to spending £7 billion on school places up to 2021, which, along with our investment in the free schools programme, we expect to deliver 600,000 new places. Somerset received £14.6 million of basic need funding between 2011 and 2015, which helped to create almost 3,000 new places between 2010 and 2015. It has also been allocated a further £24.5 million to create the places needed by 2019.

Academies

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to require all primary and secondary schools to become academies.

Nick Gibb: Ensuring that all schools are academies by 2022 gives schools and local authorities six years notice to plan and make the right decisions for their pupils and communities.This is a fully funded policy with over £500 million available this Parliament to build capacity, in support of a high-quality, fully academised school system.

Schools

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what future plans she has for the role of parents in the running of their children's school.

Nick Gibb: There is a long standing tradition of parents’ involvement in the running of their child’s school, including a valuable role in governance, and we want that to continue. Academy boards will always be free to appoint parents for their skills and knowledge to govern in the best interests of all pupils. Academies will be required to engage with all parents to listen to their views and feedback particularly on key decisions about the school.

Children in Care

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the quality of data it holds on the mental health of looked-after children.

Edward Timpson: The Department collects Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) scores for children looked-after for at least 12 months. In March 2015, The Department for Education and Department of Health strengthened the statutory guidance Promoting the health and wellbeing of looked after children to include information on how Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires should be used. The Department wrote to local authorities in 2014 and 2015 to remind them about the purpose and importance of SDQs. Ahead of this year’s data collection (published in September 2016), the Department will also write to Virtual School Heads and Independent Reviewing Officers about the use of SDQs for looked-after children. In addition we are considering how to utilise best practice from local authorities that have had consistently good return rates for SDQ scores in their annual children looked after data returns.

Families: Disadvantaged

James Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the Government has to support the most vulnerable children and families.

Edward Timpson: It is a fundamental priority for this Government to keep children safe from harm and improve their life chances. We are reforming children’s social care, putting practice excellence and achieving more for children at its heart. We have made significant progress, reducing bureaucracy and recently announced a further £200m to support innovative new ways of working that focus on the needs of children and families.

Schools: Finance

Victoria Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department is making on ensuring that funding is distributed fairly across schools.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The fair distribution of funding is a priority for this Government. A National Funding Formula will ensure that every school is allocated funding fairly and transparently according to need. The first stage of a two part consultation closed last week and we are currently considering the responses. It is important that we get such a significant change right and so we will publish our response to the first stage, and second consultation, later this year.

Academies

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to require all primary and secondary schools to become academies.

Nick Gibb: Two-thirds of secondary schools and one-third of primary schools are already academies. All schools yet to convert have six years to work with their local authority and Diocese to plan effectively for a sustainable future.We expect many will choose to partner with other schools and form or join new, local partnerships. However, no school has to rush into an arrangement that is not right for them and they will be supported throughout this process.

Pupil Exclusions

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what measures her Department has implemented to support children who are permanently excluded from school.

Edward Timpson: Exclusion from school is not the end of a pupil's education. Where a pupil has been permanently excluded, the Local Authority must arrange suitable full-time education for them to begin no later than the sixth school day following the exclusion.In the White Paper ‘Educational Excellence Everywhere’ we announced reforms to the system of alternative provision which will strengthen the accountability of schools when permanently excluding pupils. Under these changes schools will remain accountable for the education of pupils in alternative provision and will be responsible for commissioning high quality provision. In addition to this, the reforms include a number of measures to raise the standards of alternative provision providers so that every child is given the best possible opportunity to fulfil their potential. The full text of the Educational Excellence Everywhere White Paper can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/educational-excellence-everywhere.

Leader of the House

Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Leader of the House, what progress has been made on plans for the complete renovation of the Palace of Westminster; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster, co-chaired by the Leader of the House of Commons and the Leader of the House of Lords, was established on 16 and 20 July 2015 to examine the restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster. The Committee is considering evidence from a wide range of experts, Parliamentarians and stakeholders and will report in due course.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Video Games

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions his Department has had with its UN and EU member counterparts on the reform of Standard Industrial Classification codes in order more accurately to measure the growth of the video games industry.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Opportunity to review how the ONS SIC code system captures the computer games industry only occurs when the UN considers revising the overall SIC system. The UN last considered a revision in 2015, and decided against it. DCMS is working with trade bodies across the Creative Industries, in particular with Ukie and Nesta, to build the case for change when the next opportunity to review the SIC codes arises in 2017. DCMS also continues to work with ONS to lobby for these changes.

Broadband: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he expects there to be universal access to superfast fibreoptic broadband in Easington constituency.

Mr Edward Vaizey: In the Easington constituency we estimate that around 90% will benefit from superfast broadband coverage through commercial roll out. According to current forecasts a further 7% will have access under the publicly funded Superfast Broadband Programme by the end of September 2018. As announced by the Prime Minister on 7 November, the Government intends to implement a new broadband Universal Service Obligation in this Parliament. A four-week consultation on the Government’s proposed approach to taking this work forwards was published on 23 March.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Cheshire

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority by 2020.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Core DCMS DCMS has not employed staff to work in East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 and do not currently employ any staff in the area. Other Bodies The abolition or relocation of jobs in the Department’s non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies is a matter for the Chief Executives of each of the bodies.

BBC: Royal Charters

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when the Government plans to publish the White Paper on the BBC Charter.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government will set out its plans for the future of the BBC in a White Paper in May.

Broadband

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that BT co-operates with Broadband Delivery UK in rolling out superfast broadband in areas not covered by the commercial rollout.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Broadband Delivery UK are working closely with BT and other suppliers to deliver our Manifesto commitment to provide 95% of the UK with access to superfast broadband by the end of 2017. Almost 4 million homes and business now have access to superfast broadband for the first time thanks to the Superfast Broadband Programme. In addition, BT has recently announced an additional £179m of supplier funding for the programme under the contractual profit sharing arrangements. BDUK also has rigorous controls in place to ensure that all investment is in areas that will not be reached commercially for at least three years, and represents value for money.

Internet

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) accountability of internet service providers to their customers and (b) role of the regulator in upholding the rights of those customers.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Internet Service Providers are accountable to Ofcom - and in turn to their customers - through Ofcom's 'General Conditions (14)'. These conditions include ensuring that an effective complaint handling procedure is in place, and Ofcom can impose a penalty of up to 10% of turnover for failure to comply.Ofcom, as the UK’s independent communications regulator, has a duty to secure alternative dispute resolution (ADR) schemes for domestic and small business customers to make sure their rights are upheld. Ofcom periodically reviews the two approved ADR schemes (Ombudsman Services: Communications and the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme) and monitors their ability to deal with complaints independently, transparently and effectively.

Arts

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what criteria will be used to decide which 70 regions will be reached by the cultural citizens programme; and by what criteria the success of that programme will be judged.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Cultural Citizens Programme will be piloted from September 2016. As outlined in the Culture White Paper Annex 1 (measuring the impact), we will commission a bespoke evaluation of this pilot and the findings from this will determine how the programme will develop in subsequent years. The programme will operate in up to 70 areas across the country by the end of the third year, and will be focused in areas where cultural participation is lowest and where young people's opportunities are likely to be more limited. We want everyone regardless of background to have the opportunity to experience culture.

Broadcasting: Equality

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions his Department has had with Ofcom on diversity in the broadcasting sector; what further steps he expects Ofcom to take to secure improvements in diversity in that sector; and whether he plans to encourage Ofcom to make use of its powers under Section 27 of the Communications Act 2003 and other relevant legislation.

Mr Edward Vaizey: My Department has discussed diversity in broadcasting with Ofcom who are very much engaged in this important area of work. Last year Ofcom and the Equality and Human Rights Commission jointly published legal guidance in the report ‘Thinking outside the box’ which aimed to help those in the broadcasting industry to take action to increase diversity with confidence. Ofcom is currently developing an integrated online resource for industry, in collaboration with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Creative Diversity Network and other partners.Ofcom is also considering a number of the proposals suggested by individuals and organisations interested in improving diversity across the broadcasting sector in light of its role under Section 27, and other legislation, and will engage further with industry once their plan is fully developed.

Data Protection

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many organisations have failed to register as data controllers with the Information Commissioner's Office under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998 in each of the last three years.

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent representations (a) his Department and (b) the Information Commissioner's Office have received on the failure of organisations to register as data controllers with the Information Commissioner's Office under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998; and what steps (i) his Department and (ii) the Information Commissioner's Office have taken to ensure that organisations (A) are compliant with such terms of the Data Protection Act 1998 and (B) pay their notification fees.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Data Protection Act 1998 requires every data controller who is processing personal information to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) unless they are exempt. The ICO’s website sets out the criteria for notification and provides guidance on the level of fee organisations should be paying. The ICO have also made it easier for organisations to notify and pay the fee by introducing online payments.At the end of 2015/2016 there were 441,000 data controllers registered with the ICO, which generated a total income of £18.3 million. Due to the very broad range of exemptions from the need to notify, and because these exemptions do not need to be actively claimed, there is no recognised figure for the number of notifiable data controllers in the UK. It is for data controllers to seek registration; the ICO periodically reminds organisations of the requirement to notify.

Arts

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department plans to promote clearer pathways into the arts and cultural sectors to develop a more diverse leadership and workforce in those sectors.

Mr Edward Vaizey: In the recently published Culture White Paper we made it clear that more needs to be done to encourage diversity in leadership positions. We will promote clearer pathways into the sectors, and we will work with Arts Council England to understand the barriers that prevent people from lower income households and under-represented groups from becoming professionals in the arts.In December 2015, the Arts Council announced four new strategic funds for diversity, totalling £8.6 million. This included a new £2.6 million Change Makers fund to build long-term relationships between National Portfolio Organisations and aspiring arts leaders from the BME and deaf and disabled communities. Arts Council England has also made a significant change in its approach to diversity by launching The Creative Case for Diversity, which asks the organisations it funds to make themselves and their work more reflective of the communities they serve.

European City of Culture

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department plans to hold events for cities intending to apply to be the 2023 European City  of Culture.

Mr Edward Vaizey: DCMS will be running an event this year for potential bidding Local Authorities for the European Capital of Culture 2023 to provide information on the benefits, processes involved and generate interest in this exciting opportunity - in advance of the competition commencing in 2017.

Digital Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made on the implementation of the Government's Digital Inclusion Strategy, published in April 2014.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Government has invested heavily in basic digital skills. For example, BIS continues to fund a programme to help people gain the skills needed to access employment, education and wider opportunities. The Future Digital Inclusion programme aims to support 1 million people, including those with low skills, the unemployed and people with disabilities and learning difficulties. It indirectly supports SMEs and sole traders. Since September 2014 it has supported 482,000 individuals. Last year, Arts Council England oversaw government investment of £2.7m for more than 1,000 libraries to ensure that free WiFi is now available in over 99% of libraries in England. Increasing the level of digital engagement in the UK requires commitment from all sectors. To date, 93 organisations have signed up to collaborate with government departments to increase digital engagement in the UK. This commits them to working together to join up their efforts where relevant, to scale up good ideas and to devise new and innovative solutions. A wide range of activities and programmes have been delivered by partners across the UK.

Digital Technology: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding his Department has allocated to (a) the digital inclusion strategy and (b) other digital inclusion measures in each year since 2011.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The 2014 Digital Inclusion Strategy, created under the last Government, is a multi sector strategy setting out a series of collective commitments for government and the private and voluntary sectors. Increasing the level of digital engagement in the UK requires commitment from all sectors. To date, 93 organisations have signed up to collaborate with government departments and each other to increase digital engagement in the UK. A wide range of activities and programmes have been delivered by partners across the UK. Government has invested heavily in basic digital skills; for example, BIS funds a programme to help people gain the skills needed to access employment, education and wider opportunities. In addition, last year Arts Council England oversaw government investment of £2.7m in free WiFi in libraries in England. The Digital Engagement team moved to DCMS from the Cabinet Office in November 2015. Historically the team has been funded by different Departments. We anticipate DCMS's contribution to staff costs during the last financial year to be approximately £200,000. The Digital Engagement team did not fund any specific digital inclusion measures between November 2015 and March 2016.

BBC: Royal Charters

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to make announcements on progress on his plans for the next BBC Charter.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government will set out its plans for the future of the BBC in a White Paper in May.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Pollinators: Conservation

Rebecca Pow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to incorporate a strategy on encouraging (a) public green spaces, (b) front gardens and (c) other private green spaces into the National Pollinator Strategy.

George Eustice: Protecting our pollinators is a priority for this Government. They are an essential part of our environment and play a crucial role in food production. Our National Pollinator Strategy sets out comprehensive measures to support pollinators and identifies actions for everyone, be they land managers, councils, or window-box gardeners, to do their bit. The “Bees’ Needs” campaign (www.beesneeds.org.uk) is included in the Strategy and explains what action can be taken to provide food, shelter and nest sites for pollinators. It contains a series of information sheets providing practical advice to local authorities, businesses and gardeners about managing urban or industrial green spaces and gardens for bees and other pollinators.

Livestock: Animal Welfare

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on animal welfare of self-regulation of the livestock farming and breeding industries.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what changes she plans to make to her Department's code on chicken farming.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what changes she plans to make to her Department's official guidance on animal welfare standards.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received from (a) charities, (b) academics and (c) the social sector on planned changes to the regulation of (i) the poultry industry and (ii) other livestock industries.

George Eustice: We have the highest standards of animal welfare in the world and no changes were ever planned to the animal welfare legislation upholding them, or to the strict enforcement and penalties that apply. Defra sought views from interested parties in 2013 to inform the consultation on the principle of reforming the farm animal welfare codes, not regulation. Those that responded included animal welfare charities, the livestock industry, enforcement agencies, expert committees, academics, veterinarians, and members of the public. A list of respondents is included in the Government response published in 2015: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/farm-animal-welfare-codes-reform In the light of views raised, the Government has given the matter further consideration and believes that its animal welfare objectives can be achieved by retaining statutory codes. The Government will continue to work with industry to ensure farmers have the guidance they need to help them comply with legislation and we will consult with interested parties as and when updates are needed.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Cheshire

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many jobs in (a) her Department and (b) each of her Department's non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority by 2020.

George Eustice: Not all of the Defra Group (Core and her non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies) collect data on posts that have been abolished or relocated; although all collect management information about the people working in the East Cheshire Local Authority area. In the Department we do not hold data on posts that have been abolished or relocated in the East Cheshire Local Authority area between March 2010 and now. There are currently no plans to abolish jobs in or relocate any jobs from the East Cheshire Local Authority area by 2020. Not all of the Department's non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies hold data on posts that have been abolished or relocated in the East Cheshire Local Authority area. Of those that do hold this data, during the period March 2010 to now 20 posts have been abolished. There are also currently no plans to abolish jobs in the East Cheshire Local Authority area by 2020.

Neonicotinoids

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications for emergency authorisation for the use of neonicotinoids have been received since February 2016; and how many such applications have been granted.

George Eustice: The Government has received two applications for emergency authorisation for the use of neonicotinoids since February 2016. These applications are currently being assessed according to the normal rules, which allow for limited and controlled use of a pesticide on an exceptional basis in emergency situations to control a danger which cannot be contained by any other reasonable means. No authorisations have been granted.

Biodegradability

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research her Department is (a) carrying out and (b) encouraging into extending the use of materials that biodegrade more quickly.

Rory Stewart: In October 2014, Defra commissioned the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) project on biodegradable plastic carrier bags – solutions through innovation. The project is contracted to the plastic packing manufacturer Aquapak Polymers Ltd, and is due to report in December this year. The project is testing the biodegradability of a hydrophilic polymer under simulated composting and anaerobic digestion conditions, and in experiments simulating natural conditions, and testing the impact on aquatic life.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Department for Energy and Climate Change: Cheshire

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many jobs in (a) her Department and (b) each of her Department's non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority by 2020.

Andrea Leadsom: It is confirmed that no jobs in (a) the Department for Energy and Climate Change or (b) any of the Department’s accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 or (ii) will be abolished or relocated from the Authority by 2020.

Electricity Interconnectors

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department has prepared contingency plans relating to interconnection with the continental electricity grid in the event of the UK voting to leave the EU.

Amber Rudd: At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's position, as set out by my rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU. We currently expect our electricity interconnector capacity with Europe to double by the early 2020s with studies showing they could deliver benefits to British consumers of almost £12 billion over 25 years. As the White Paper that the Government published in February on the process for withdrawing from the European Union makes clear, a vote to leave the EU would lead to a prolonged period of uncertainty, including on the nature of our access to the EU's single energy market.

Energy: Meters

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of the number of households which will refuse a smart meter.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government has not made a specific estimate of the number of consumers that will refuse a smart meter. We will monitor this as the roll-out progresses.

Tidal Power: Swansea Bay

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she expects the Government's review of the case for the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon to be completed.

Andrea Leadsom: The timeframe depends on a number of factors, many of which would be outside the control of the Department. Talks between Government and the developer are on-going and will be fed into the independent review of tidal lagoons for consideration. The independent review will be completed as soon as possible.

Warm Home Discount Scheme: Fuel Poverty

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of households which receive the Warm Home Discount are in fuel poverty.

Andrea Leadsom: Based on our estimates, around 15% of those in receipt of rebates under the Core and Broader Group elements of the scheme are households with both low incomes and high energy costs. Subject to positive progress on data sharing legislation, Government plans to consult formally later this year on whether in future the Warm Home Discount should be targeted more towards fuel poor households.

Attorney General

Administration of Justice

Karl Turner: To ask the Attorney General, what proportion of cases in each year since 2010 is delayed as a result of CPS files not being handed over to the defence in time before the start of proceedings.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain centrally held data on the number of cases delayed as a result of CPS files not being handed over to the defence in time before the start of proceedings. Such information could only be obtained through a manual search of records which would incur disproportionate cost.The CPS is however committed to reducing unnecessary delays in the magistrates’ court, together with other CJS partners, through the Transforming Summary Justice initiative (TSJ). One of the principles of TSJ is to implement a more effective disclosure process to ensure the streamlining of disclosure to defence practitioners for first hearings.The Better Case Management process (BCM) and the CPS Crown Court Strategy, which interlink with TSJ, also ensure that in cases destined for the Crown Court there is greater focus on Crown Court file build at the very outset to provide sufficient evidential material for the first hearing.

Fraud: Prosecutions

Karl Turner: To ask the Attorney General, how many fraud prosecutions were carried out in each CPS business area in England and Wales in each year since 2005.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the numbers of defendants and the outcome of prosecution proceedings, divided into twelve Principal Offence Categories, including ‘Fraud and Forgery’. The numbers of defendants prosecuted under this category are provided in the accompanying attachment.



34646 - CPS Fraud and Forgery Prosecutions
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.42 KB)

Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences: Convictions

Karl Turner: To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2016 to Question 33351, how many convictions there were for (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) domestic violence as a result of prosecutions by the Service Prosecuting Authority in each year since 2013.

Jeremy Wright: The relevant figures are as follows: YearRape convictionsSexual Assault convictionsDomestic violence convictions201313020140622015195 Consistent with the answer of 14 April 2016, the above relates to offences that took place in the UK that were prosecuted by the Service Prosecuting Authority and subsequently convicted.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Official Engagements

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what his engagements were for (a) 28, (b) 29 and (c) 30 March 2016.

Alun Cairns: During the week commencing 28 March 2016, I spoke to and met with a number of Ministerial colleagues, and stakeholders within the steel industry, in relation to the ongoing crisis at Port Talbot.

Tata Steel: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what meetings (a) he and (b) his predecessor had with cabinet colleagues (i) wholly and (ii) primarily about Tata Steel's intentions for the Welsh steel industry.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what meetings (a) he and (b) his predecessor had with ministers of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (i) wholly and (ii) primarily about Tata Steel's intentions for the Welsh steel industry.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what meetings (a) he and (b) his predecessor had with ministers in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (i) wholly and (ii) primarily about Tata Steel's intentions for the Welsh steel industry.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what meetings (a) he and (b) his predecessor had with Ministers of the Welsh Government (i) wholly and (ii) primarily about Tata Steel's intentions for the Welsh steel industry.

Alun Cairns: My predecessor, the Rt hon Stephen Crabb MP, and I have, and continue to conduct regular meetings to discuss Tata Steel, and the Welsh Steel Industry with Cabinet colleagues, UK Government Ministers and Welsh Government Ministers.

Welsh Affairs Select Committee

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many times he has attended public meetings of the Welsh Affairs Committee since his appointment.

Alun Cairns: I have not been required to attend any meetings with the Welsh Affairs Committee since my appointment.

Devolution: Wales

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, when he plans to publish the draft Wales Bill.

Alun Cairns: On 29 February, my predecessor announced the Government’s intention to introduce the Wales Bill early in the second session.

Air Passenger Duty: Wales

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the devolution of Air Passenger Duty to Wales.

Alun Cairns: The Government is considering the case and options for devolving Air Passenger Duty to Wales, informed by a review of options to support English regional airports from potential impacts caused by its devolution. As part of this review, HM Treasury published a discussion paper at Summer Budget 2015 exploring a number of options. HM Treasury is carefully considering the evidence received from stakeholders on an ongoing basis.

Tidal Power: Swansea Bay

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the Government's review of the case for a Swansea Bay tidal lagoon.

Alun Cairns: My office remains in close contact with the Department of Energy and Climate Change on both the independent review of tidal lagoons and the potential development of a tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay. Talks between the UK Government and the developer are continuing on a possible Contract for Difference and the conclusion of these discussions will be fed into the independent review for consideration.

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice: Cheshire

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority by 2020.

Mike Penning: Within the Ministry of Justice, only the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Services (Cafcass) have or have had offices within the East Cheshire postal address.In September 2010 Cafcass closed its Sandbach office following consultation with staff. All 11 posts were relocated to the nearby Warrington office.Within HMCTS, one post has been re-located from the East Cheshire Local Authority Area since 2010 and 16 posts have not been replaced when vacated by the previous post-holder. As part of the HMCTS Estates Reform Programme, both Macclesfield Magistrates' and Macclesfield County Courts are due to close in September 2016. Discussions are ongoing with HMCTS staff in post as to potential redeployment options that include courts in Crewe, however no decisions have yet taken place.

Foreign Nationals: Suspended Sentences

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many citizens of other (a) EU member states and (b) countries have been given suspended sentences in each of the last 10 years.

Dominic Raab: This information is not collected centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Administration of Justice

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions court cases have been listed in the same time slot as another case since 2010.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

County Courts

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time is between a case being listed in a county court and it going to trial since 2010.

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time has been in a Crown Court between a case being listed and it going to trial since 2010.

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time is between a case being listed and it going to trial since 2010.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) publishes data on the average weeks from issue to trial of small claims and fast and multi-track trials in the county court in Table 1.6 of Civil Justice Statistics Quarterly, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-justice-statistics-quarterly. The MoJ also publishes the average weeks from sending a trial case to the Crown Court to the start of the trial in table C10 of Criminal Courts Statistics Quarterly, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statistics. This publication also includes a number of timeliness tables showing the average time in days from offence to charge, charge to first listing and first listing to completion of criminal cases dealt with both at the Crown Court and magistrates’ courts. The magistrates’ court data does not separately record trials and guilty pleas.

Rape

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were (a) prosecuted for, (b) convicted of, (c) cautioned for and (d) given a non-custodial sentence for rape in each year since 2010.

Mike Penning: The number of offenders cautioned, and defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty and sentenced at all courts, with sentence outcomes, for rape offences in England and Wales from 2010 to 2014 (latest available) can be viewed in the Outcomes by offence tables in the annual publication found at:-https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2014

Administration of Justice

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) access to justice and (b) early settlement of claims of changes made in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The last government implemented reforms to the justice system through provisions contained in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act 2012. Part 1 of the Act reformed the legal aid system and Part 2 reformed costs and funding arrangements for civil litigation. There will be post-implementation reviews of Parts 1 and 2 of the Act between three to five years after implementation (that is, between 2016 and 2018), although the government has indicated that it will carry out the review of Part 2 towards the end of that period.

Sexual Offences: Lie Detectors

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33485, in what capacity those polygraph examinations have been conducted; and for what reasons polygraph examinations have been so used to examine sex offender behaviour.

Andrew Selous: The legal basis for the polygraph scheme is in the Offender Management Act 2007. Sections 28 to 30 enable a polygraph licence condition to be added to the release licence of certain sex offenders. In January 2014, following a successful pilot, the condition was introduced nationally.Polygraph testing has proven to be a valuable additional tool for National Probation Service offender managers in the management of certain sex offenders in the community. It increases the chance that those sexual offenders will make critically significant disclosures relevant to their management, supervision, or risk assessment. Furthermore, it has increased the likelihood of preventative actions being taken by offender managers to protect the public from harm, such as warnings and recall to custody.

Debt Collection: Fees and Charges

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of instances in which enforcement agent fees paid by a defendant were transferred directly by HM Courts and Tribunal Services to enforcement agents in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the amounts transferred in that period.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many full-time equivalent officials of his Department work facilitating co-operation with enforcement agents; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of court fines referred to enforcement agents in the last year and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the total number of court fines issued in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the value of such fines.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the total payment made to enforcement agents for the collection of outstanding court fines in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The table below sets out the total number of financial imposition accounts that were opened in the last five years and the total value imposed on those accounts.YearNumber of financial imposition accounts openedTotal value of financial impositions ordered.2011/121,189,323£385,743,3002012/131,122,871£404,584,2132013/141,141,776£420,255,8402014/151,166,238£457,415,1832015/16 to December (latest published period)893,999£449,748,768 The figures above include impositions for fines, compensation, victim surcharge, prosecution costs and in 2015/16, criminal courts charge. One financial imposition account can include one or any combination of the different imposition types. The table below shows the amount HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has paid to approved enforcement agents (AEAs) for the enforcement of arrest warrants in the last five years. Arrest warrants can include some that are not related to the collection of outstanding fines such as community penalty breach warrants but it is not possible to split these out. HMCTS does not pay AEAs for the execution of warrants of control. YearAmount paid to AEAs2011/12£1,304,4032012/13£1,179,4652013/14£1,317,7942014/15£588,9002015/16£1,171,594 The number of warrants of control issued to AEAs for the enforcement of outstanding financial impositions in the last year was 602,695 and there were also 32,446 arrest warrants issued to AEAs. These warrants can relate to amounts imposed in the year or any previous year.If an offender makes a payment on a financial imposition after a warrant of control has been issued and referred to the AEA, HMCTS transfers the full payment to the AEA to enable them to reconcile their accounts and take the fee owed to them and they then return any balance owed to HMCTS. The Tribunals Courts and Enforcement Act states that the AEA is entitled to retain the first £75 of any amount paid on a warrant and then their fees are retained on a pro rata basis with the balance paid to HMCTS. It is not possible to identify how many times offenders make a payment direct to HMCTS once a warrant has been issued. The management of work to and from the AEAs is a function carried out by a number of staff within the Compliance and Enforcement Service of HMCTS alongside a number of other tasks and it is not possible to segregate this to identify how many full time equivalent officials facilitate work with the AEAs. There is one full time individual whose main role is to manage the contract relationship with the AEAs and monitor performance against the agreed KPIs.

Coroners

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prevention of Future Death Notices issued by coroners in England and Wales related to failures of NHS ambulance services in each of the last five years.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prevention of Future Death Notices were issued to each NHS ambulance trust in each of the last five years.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prevention of Future Death Notices were issued by coroners in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: Until 31 March 2013 the Ministry of Justice published twice yearly updates on reports to prevent future deaths. The relevant information can be found in the links below to five reports which cover the period 1 October 2010 to 31 March 2013:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-reports-and-responses-under-rule-43-of-the-coroners-rules-1-october-to-31-march-2011 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-reports-and-responses-under-rule-43-of-the-coroners-rules https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-reports-and-responses-under-rule-43-of-the-coroners-rules--10 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-reports-and-responses-under-rule-43-of-the-coroners-rules-1984 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-reports-and-responses-under-rule-43-of-the-coroners-rules--12 However, since 1 April 2013 reports to prevent future deaths are sent by coroners to the Chief Coroner and they are posted on his website at https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/related-offices-and-bodies/office-chief-coroner/pfd-reports/

Legal Aid Scheme

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much the Government has spent during Public Law Project v The Lord Chancellor [2015] EWCA Civ 1193, 25 November 2015.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Government is disappointed with the decision of the Supreme Court in the judicial review of the civil legal aid residence test. We will now wait for the full written judgement to consider. To date, the Ministry of Justice has spent £152,196.50 (excluding VAT) in legal fees in proceedings in the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court in Public Law Project v The Lord Chancellor.

Courts: Closures

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any further courts and tribunal offices are planned for closure in addition to those announced in the Government's response to the consultation on the court and tribunal estate, published in February 2016.

Mr Shailesh Vara: HMCTS keeps its operational estate under review to make sure that it aligns with the delivery of reformed court and tribunal services. Any proposals for further closures, should they be required, will be subject to public consultation.

EU External Trade: Canada

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with officials from the (a) Canadian government and (b) EU on the implications to the UK judicial system of the ratification of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

Dominic Raab: Officials from my department have not held discussions with officials from the Canadian government or the EU on the implications to the UK judicial system of the ratification of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Syria

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Syria-related desk posts within the Joint Intelligence Organisation's Assessments Staff were (a) vacated and (b) filled during 2015.

Mr Oliver Letwin: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Correspondence

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Minister for Constitutional Reform plans to respond to the hon. Member for Ashfield's correspondence of 24 February 2016 on voter registration.

John Penrose: I refer the hon. Member to my letter to her dated 9 March 2016.

Cabinet Office: Syria

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many desk officers within the Joint Intelligence Organisation's Assessments Staff work on Syria-related issues; and how many such desk officers had specialist knowledge or experience related to Syria prior to their appointment.

Mr Oliver Letwin: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Military Decorations

Jason McCartney: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the estimated cost is of introducing a National Defence medal; and what plans his Department has to reconsider the award of a National Defence medal.

Matthew Hancock: An independent review undertaken by Sir John Holmes estimated the costs of producing a national defence medal to be £475million. This was based on an approximate figure of 7 million recipients who had completed four years of regular or Reserve Service, or completed national service (back to 9 September 1945), and 100% take up. There are no current plans to reconsider the award of the National Defence Medal.

Heart Diseases: Death

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people died of sudden cardiac death in the UK by (a) age and (b) region in each of the last five years.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of people who died of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome in each of the last three years.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Sudden Deaths
(PDF Document, 110.34 KB)

House of Commons Commission

Palace of Westminster: Art Works

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, how many representations of Black, Asian, and minority ethnic people there are in the paintings in the Palace of Westminster.

Tom Brake: Holding answer received on 21 April 2016



There are four formal painted portraits of Black, Asian and minority ethnic people on display in the Palace of Westminster. The portraits are of Dr Dadabhoy Naoroji, the first Asian MP, Diane Abbott, the first black woman MP, Paul Boateng as the first black Cabinet Minister and Baroness Amos as the first black Leader of the House of Lords.The Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art is committed to reflecting the diversity of the House today, and to recognising those who have influenced Parliament and contributed to its development in a notable way through the Parliamentary Art Collection. The Committee has agreed to give further consideration to the matter of BAME representation in the current Parliament.